Can virtual autopsy with postmortem CT improve clinical diagnosis of cause of death? A retrospective observational cohort study in a Dutch tertiary referral centre.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To investigate whether virtual autopsy with postmortem CT (PMCT) improves clinical diagnosis of the immediate cause of death.

Design

Retrospective observational cohort study.

Inclusion criteria

inhospital and out-of-hospital deaths over the age of 1 year in whom virtual autopsy with PMCT and conventional autopsy were performed.

Exclusion criteria

forensic cases, postmortal organ donors and cases with incomplete scanning procedures. Cadavers were examined by virtual autopsy with PMCT prior to conventional autopsy. The clinically determined cause of death was recorded before virtual autopsy and was then adjusted with the findings of virtual autopsy. Using conventional autopsy as reference standard, we investigated the increase in sensitivity for immedia

SUBMITTER: Sonnemans LJP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5857682 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature