Aplicación forense de tecnología radiográfica dental portátil en Argentina: estado actual y perspectivas futuras / Forensic application of portable dental radiographic technology in Argentina: current status and future prospects

Objetivos: Mensurar los niveles de radiación de fuga y dispersión emanada a través de los blindajes y estructuras plomadas del tubo de rayos X de la unidad dental portátil NOMAD, controlando la retrodispersión con el uso del escudo protector de acrílico plomado adaptado en el extremo final del tubo localizador plomado. Se midieron las tasas de exposición dispersadas mediante un detector tipo Geiger-Müller y una cámara de ionización con respuesta en el rango de energías aportadas en diagnóstico por imágenes para la medición de la exposición directa y determinación posterior de las dosis. Se utilizó un fantomas diseñado para diagnóstico odontológico, sopesando la radiación en diferentes angulaciones de operación del equipo NOMAD, simulando los gestos posturales de odontólogos, radiólogos y sujetos a identificar. Se controlaron las tasas de exposición para determinar los valores de las dosis aportadas en las zonas significativas corporales más radiosensibles del operador del equipo. Se obtuvo como resultado que la retrodispersión en el cristalino del ojo del operador fue significativamente menor cuando el fantomas estaba acostado, mientras que a nivel de gónadas resultó más baja con el cuerpo sentado. La tasa de dosis máxima de radiación dispersa que impactó en los operadores fue de 350.8 micro Sieverts por hora (uSv/h) en la zona de gónadas, por cada radiografía tomada sin el uso del delantal de goma plomada, reduciéndose a 4.38 micro Sieverts por hora (uSv/h) al utilizarlo (AU)

Decoding death by unknown causes using postmortem image-guided virtopsy: A review of recent literature and the Malaysian experience

@#Introduction: Autopsy is one of the most important approaches to identify clearly the exact cause of death, whether it was due to natural causes, sudden death, or traumatic. Various studies have been done in different countries regarding ways to improve the diagnosis during autopsy. The imaging approach is one of the methods that has been used to complement autopsy findings and to enhance the diagnosis for achieving the most accurate post-mortem diagnosis. The aim of this study is to identify the role of imaging modalities that complement routine autopsy and correlate the findings of diagnostic imaging that can help improve the accuracy of diagnosing the cause of death. Methods: We sourced articles from Scopus, Ovid and PubMed databases for journal publications related to post-mortem diagnostic imaging. We highlight the most relevant full articles in English that explain the type of modality that was utilised and the added value it provided for diagnosing the cause of death. Results: Minimally invasive autopsies assisted by imaging modalities added a great benefit to forensic medicine, and supported conventional autopsy. In particular the role of post mortem computed tomography (PMCT), post mortem computed tomography angiography (PMMR) and positron emission tomography computed tomography (PMCTA) that have incremental benefits in diagnosing traumatic death, fractures, tissue injuries, as well as the assessment of body height or weight for corpse identification. Conclusion: PMCT and PMMR, with particular emphasis on PMCTA, can provide higher accuracy than the other modalities. They can be regarded as indispensable methods that should be applied to the routine autopsy protocol, thus improving the findings and accuracy of diagnosing the cause of death.

Estimation of Stature from Radiological Length of Femur among South - Indian Adult Population

Introduction: Stature estimation by analyzing skeletalremains or body parts is an essential part of humanidentification. One critical role of stature estimation todaylies in the forensic identification of crime victims andmissing persons. Femur, being the longest and strongest bonein the body, plays a crucial role while estimating stature ofan individual. In this study, we tested a new approach topredict the stature of a person by radiologically measuringthe femur length.Material and methods: Our study was conducted on 100South Indian subjects (50 males and 50 females) with an aimof obtaining regression formulae for estimation of stature ofmales and females, from maximum femur length and anotherindividual sample consisting of 20 male and 20 femaleparticipants belonging to the same criteria as the preliminarysubject group was used for validating the obtained equations.Results: It was observed that femur length showedstatistically significant correlation with stature in both thegroups (p=0.0001). Regression equations specific togeographical (South-Indian) population were statisticallyanalyzed for femur lengths in males (r=0.880) and females(r=0.862) and significantly proved reliable in estimatingthe living stature of an individual.Conclusion: In our study, the mean stature value of maleswas higher than that of females contributing to theinference that males are generally taller than females.

Age estimation in the Living from the knee by using MRI T2 weighting images with fat suppression / 中国法医学杂志

Objective The purpose of this study is to estimate the living age by MRI T2-FS images of the knee and to establish a new age estimation method without radiation in Sichuan Hans population. Methods We retrospectively evaluated sagittal T2-weighted, fat-suppression and turbo spin-echo sequence taken upon MRI of 324patients (170 males, 154 females; age 10~30) using a six-stage method. The gender difference was tested by Mann-Whitney U and the correlation between the knee and age height was tested by Spearman correlation coefficient. Regression models were built for age estimation in both genders. Results The correlation between the distal femur and age was 0.687 in males and 0.661in females and was 0.684 in males and 0.488 in females between the proximal tibia and age. Comparison of male and female revealed nonsignificant differences in the ages at the stages 1~3, 5, 6 of the distal femoral epiphysis and stage 1~3, 5 of the proximal tibial epiphysis. The fusion of distal femur commenced at 18.42 years in males and 19.36 years in females. The fusion of proximal tibia commenced at 16.93 years in males and14.68 years in females. The test of accuracy showed MAD=2.90 years in the males and MAD=3.30 years in the females in the compound regression model. Conclusion MRI T2-FS images of the knee can be an indicator for age estimation in the living and stage 6 of the distal femur can be used to determine 18-year limit.

Stature estimation from the average length of clavicle by using computed tomography-volume rendering technique images of Sichuan Hans population / 中国法医学杂志

Objective The purpose of this study is to estimate the body height of Sichuan Hans population by CT-VRT images of clavicle and to update the data of Stature estimation. Methods Three hundred individual CT-VRT images of clavicle were selected. The length of both side clavicles was measured and then the average clavicle length (ACL),the left clavicle length(LCL),the right clavicle length(RCL)was calculated as independent variable to establish the regression equations. The gender difference was tested by ANOVA and the correlation between the clavicle and the body height was tested by Pearson. Result The correlation between the ACL, LCL, RCL and the body height was normal in both genders (0.534 in male ACL and 0.707in female ACL; 0.484 in male LCL, 0.680in femaleLCL;0.523 in male RCL, 0.695 in female RCL). The test of accuracy showed MAD=4.48cm in the male ACL simple linear regression model and MAD=3.51cm in the female ACL simple linear regression model; MAD=4.60cm in the male LCL model, MAD=3.64cm in the female LCL simple linear regression model; MAD=4.49cm in the male RCL model, MAD=3.59cm in the female RCL model. Conclusion The regression equations derided from clavicle on the basis of CT-VRT images in this study can be used to estimate stature for Sichuan Hans population. But the R2 values were small, so it's better to combine other bone for stature estimation.

Progress on the Rule of Clavicle Epiphyseal Closure Using Multi-Imaging Technology / 法医学杂志

People aged 18 years could be punished lightly or diminished criminal responsibility, even be spared the death sentence, which has important meaning in Chinese judicatory adjudication. The epiphysis of long bones from human limbs and the secondary sexual characteristics almost have developed completely before 18 years old. Clavicle epiphysis is one of the articular metaphysis which has a late epiphyseal closure. The recent studies in exploring the rule of clavicle epiphyseal by multi-imaging technology shows that the development of clavicle epiphysis has some value in age estimation of 18 years old. CT, especially thin-section CT, is widely used at present. However, thin-section CT scanning has great net radiation, which is not ethically acceptable if it is not for diagnosis and treatment. MRI is nonradioactive tomographic imaging and easy to evaluate, which is one of the future research directions in forensic age estimation using the medial clavicle. This paper summarizes the progress on the rule of clavicle epiphyseal closure, and analyzes and summarizes the feasibility of rule of clavicle epiphyseal closure applies on age estimation.

Common Postmortem Computed Tomography Findings Following Atraumatic Death: Differentiation between Normal Postmortem Changes and Pathologic Lesions

Computed tomography (CT) is widely used in postmortem investigations as an adjunct to the traditional autopsy in forensic medicine. To date, several studies have described postmortem CT findings as being caused by normal postmortem changes. However, on interpretation, postmortem CT findings that are seemingly due to normal postmortem changes initially, may not have been mere postmortem artifacts. In this pictorial essay, we describe the common postmortem CT findings in cases of atraumatic in-hospital death and describe the diagnostic pitfalls of normal postmortem changes that can mimic real pathologic lesions.

Remarkable Postmortem CT Findings in Forensic Autopsy / 대한법의학회지

Despite being a very new field, forensic imaging is rapidly being used in forensic medical practices around the world. Computed tomography images are being produced and used for many reasons. Forensic imaging is being used for preliminary examination of serious findings before a routine autopsy, as it might help to give positive proof in some cases. Some major preliminary findings, such as brain hemorrhage, cardiac tamponade, or aortic dissection, can then be substantiated with the results of the physical autopsy. Forensic imaging techniques may also provide additive evidence about the cause of death such as pneumothorax, ileus, gas embolism, and aspiration that are difficult to detect with the traditional surgical autopsy techniques. Forensic imaging is also proving useful outside the autopsy room; forensic anthropologists and odontologists are using images to help them determine the age, sex, and even lifestyle of human specimens. Finally, forensic images have also begun to function as a form of record keeping in complex cases.

Stature Estimation for Sichuan Han Nationality Female Based on X-Ray Technol-ogy with Measurement of Lumbar Vertebrae / 法医学杂志

Objective To establish the mathematical models of stature estimation for Sichuan Han female with measurement of lumbar vertebrae by X-ray to provide essential data for forensic anthropology re-search. Methods The samples, 206 Sichuan Han females, were divided into three groups including group A, B and C according to the ages. Group A(206 samples) consisted of all ages, group B(116 samples) were 20-45 years old and 90 samples over 45 years old were group C. All the samples were examined lumbar vertebrae through C Rtechnology, including the parameters of five centrums (L1-L5) as anterior border, posterior border and central heights (x1-x15), total central height of lumbar spine (x16), and the real height of every sample.The linear regression analysis was produced using the parameters to establish the mathematical models of stature estimation. Sixty-two trained subjects were tested to verify the accuracy of the mathematical models. Results The established mathematical models by hypothesis test of linear regression equation model were statistically significant (P<0.05).The standard errors of the equation were 2.982-5.004 cm, while correlation coefficients were 0.370-0.779 and multiple correlation coefficients were 0.533-0.834.The return tests of the highest correlation coefficient and multiple correlation coefficient of each group showed that the highest accuracy of the multiple regression equation, y=100.33+1.489 x3-0.548 x6+0.772 x9+0.058 x12+0.645 x15, in group Awere 80.6% (±1SE ) and 100% (±2SE ). Conclusion The established mathematical models in this study could be applied for the stature estimation for Sichuan Han females.

Virtopsy: One step forward in the field of forensic medicine - A review.

Forensic medicine aims for the documentation of medical and other forensic findings in living and deceased persons, for the police and the judiciary system. Though in other branches of the specialty, newer techniques are part of daily routine, in autopsy, the same century old techniques are still being used. Virtopsy is one step ahead in this field which literally means virtual autopsy. New methods like 3D-surface scanning and modern radiological procedures like computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are becoming more and more part of scientific research in forensic sciences and are today part of the routine workflow in a some institutes of legal medicine. This paper is aimed to discuss a few points in the field of Virtopsy.

Body height estimation from the length of the thoracic segments of spine by digitalradiography in living body / 中国法医学杂志

Objective To establish the method of estimating the stature with the length of the thoracic segments of spine.Methods By applying technology of digital radiography(DR),the digital radiography of thoracic segments of 514 living subjects from the population of Han of Sichuan in China are obtained,their length of thoracic segments of spine also were measured from the radiograms and the body height of each subject was recorded.Linear regression analysis in grouping was done between the length of thoracic segments of spine and body height,and than the linear regression equations for stature estimation were produced based on the dimensions of thoracic segments.Results 7 regression equations were established from 7 groups(mixture between males and females,males,females,males between 20 and 45 years of age,males greater than 45 years of age,females between 20 and 45 years of age and females greater than 45 years of age).Each equation has been checked by analysis of variance of linear regression model and proved to be appropriate in statistic(P

The study of identification methods on Chinese Han nationality adult skull CT films / 中国法医学杂志

objective To establish a method to do identification of Chinese Han nationality adult skull CT films.Methods Collect skull CT films of Chinese Han nationality adult according including criterion.We use the image processing and measure function of efilms 2.0 to do observation and measurement for the 12 identification indexes.And more,we make the classific code for each result of the indexes.Then we make a 12-bit identification code for the skull CT films by order.We use SPSS 13.0 to do statistical analysis on the difference of the age and sex by using the data we had collected.Last we use discrimination power formula to calculate the discrimination power of the individual index and total indexes.Results There are six indexes among twelve identification indexes have sexual differentiation;The discrimination power of the twelve indexes adding up together is 99.9997997%.Conclusion We make sure that there are 12 indexes for skull CT films of Chinese Han nationality adult in this study.Using the index classific code we carry out the identification of Chinese Han nationality adult skull CT films.