Antemortem identification by fusion of MR and CT of the paranasal sinuses

Odontological identification dental charts based upon postmortem computed tomography compared to dental charts based upon postmortem clinical examinations

Since the beginning of this century, the use of postmortem computed tomography (PMCT) in forensic autopsies has increased. In this study we examined how similar dental charts created using PMCT as a solitary examination mode were to dental charts created using the conventional method of a clinical inspection including intraoral radiographs. A total of 100 previously performed dental identification cases were retrospectively included in the study. For each case, a dental chart was created solely based upon PMCT. The PMCT based dental chart was subsequently compared with the chart created from the previous conventional identification examination. Based upon the accuracy, sensitivity and specificity values PMCT performed very well compared to the conventional method in the identification concerning presence or absence of teeth, the presence of crowns, bridges and endodontic treatments as well as the presence and types of fillings. PMCT performed poorly concerning the extension of fillings and identification of small, tooth-colored fillings. The use of PMCT is a valuable supplement to the conventional methods available for forensic odontologists and may be of great value for initial screening in mass fatalities.

Simple, Frequent Indicator for Personal Identification-Postmortem and Antemortem Abdominal Computed Tomography Findings of a Charred Body

Postmortem personal identification in forensic science is performed using various methods. However, severely burnt bodies are hard to identify using odontological or skeletal features because of carbonization, and sometimes DNA profiling is impracticable because of the unavailability of the relatives. We present a case of a burn victim found after a house fire. Personal identification was attempted, but the body was heavily charred to the bones and the use of physical appearance was impracticable. There were no known relatives or personal belongings of the deceased for comparison of DNA typing. We obtained a series of abdominal computed tomography (CT) scans taken antemortem and found bilateral multiple renal cysts, left renal artery calcification, and a big right inguinal hernia, which matched the deceased's postmortem CT findings and autopsy findings. To date, studies of identification by CT have acted for a rise in precision, but they require complicated calculation or high graphical methods. Calcification of the arteries or renal cysts seen in our case are very common lesions present in many adults with abundant variation; thus, they may be helpful as simple indicators for identification.

Post-mortem X-ray computed tomography (PMCT) identification using ante-mortem CT-scan of the sphenoid sinus

PURPOSE

To evaluate forensic identification of individuals through visual comparison of sphenoid sinus anatomical configuration using ante- and post-mortem CT-scans.

METHOD AND MATERIALS

Ante- and post-mortem head CT-scan of 33 individuals were retrospectively collected. Ten head CT-scans were randomly selected from various neurological contexts and added to the ante-mortem group. Ten other head CT-scans were randomly selected from our post-mortem PACS and added to the post-mortem group. These CT-scans were assigned into 2 groups for analysis: an ante-mortem group (33 + 10) and a post-mortem group (33 + 10). For ethics and to avoid identification bias, CT-scans were anonymized - not showing any head structure but only sphenoid sinuses. An anatomical based classification system using the sphenoid sinuses anatomical variations was created according to anatomical and surgical literature. This classification was used by readers to identify in two different steps a maximum of matched and then unmatched scans.

RESULTS

The first reader had a sensitivity of 100% [CI: 89.4%-100%] and a specificity of 100% [CI: 99.8%-100%]. Sensitivity and specificity were respectively 93.9% [CI: 79.8%-99.3%] and 99.9% [CI: 99.6%-100%] for the second reader. Positive and negative predictive values were respectively 100% [CI: 89.4%-100%] and 100% [CI: 99.8%-100%] for the first reader. Positive and negative values were respectively 96.9% [CI: 83.8%-99.9%] and 99.9% [CI: 99.7%-100%] for the second reader. Inter-reader variability was estimated by Cohen's kappa and an excellent agreement was found.

CONCLUSION

We reported an excellent validity and reliability of subjective visual comparison of ante- and post-mortem CT-data using an anatomical based classification of the sphenoid sinus.