The Future of Pediatric and Perinatal Post-mortem Imaging

The field and applications of postmortem imaging are exponentially growing. Its potential to identify the cause of death in trauma and ballistic cases is now properly documented, as well as its use in drug mule identification. In pediatric and perinatal practice, large significant series are less available, except for MRI and central nervous system analysis where scientific evidence is now robust. In this review, after a short historical review and analysis of current problems and challenges, we will try to depict the way we see the future of this subspecialty of postmortem cross-sectional imaging, including all specific situations: terminations of pregnancy, intrauterine death, sudden unexpected infant death and identification issues

Postmortem Whole Body CT Angiography Using Aqueous Contrast Agent

In modern postmortem imaging, the visualization of the vascular system by postmortem angiography is mostly done using multidetector computed tomography (CT). Like clinical radiologic investigations, whole body angiography makes the vascular system visible and allows identification of vascular lesions such as traumatic dissection or rupture. Additionally, the injection of contrast agent enhances soft tissue and aids in the visualization of lesions in organ parenchyma. In this chapter, we describe two methods of whole body postmortem CT angiography (PMCTA) that can be classed in the category of “PMCTA using aqueous contrast agent.