Utility of Whole-Body Computed Tomography Imaging in Post Mortem Detection of Elder Abuse and Neglect: Comparison with and Potential Substitution for Standard Autopsy

摘要

Physical abuse as a contributing factor in the death of an elderly individual is difficult to exclude without a full conventional autopsy, even when allegations of abuse are focused on nonphysical issues. We investigated the potential for use of whole-body post mortem computed tomography (PMCT) as a triage tool to determine the need for conventional autopsy, based on detection of injuries suggestive of physical abuse and/or evidence suggestive of neglect.