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Heart luxation and myocardium rupture in postmortem multislice computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging

Emin Aghayev1, Christian Jackowski, Michael J Thali

  • 1Center for Forensic Imaging and Virtopsy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland. emin.aghayev@irm.unibe.ch

The American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology
|September 15, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Postmortem multislice computed tomography (MSCT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can diagnose blunt heart trauma. These imaging techniques are valuable forensic tools for documenting severe cardiac injuries in fatal accidents.

Area of Science:

  • Forensic radiology
  • Cardiovascular imaging

Background:

  • Postmortem imaging of nontraumatic and penetrating cardiac trauma is established.
  • Diagnosing blunt cardiac trauma with postmortem multislice computed tomography (MSCT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) presents challenges.

Observation:

  • A case of fatal vehicle accident with severe heart trauma was examined using postmortem MSCT and MRI prior to autopsy.
  • Radiologic findings revealed significant heart dislocation, suggesting pericardial rupture.
  • Specific imaging sequences (T2-weighted MRI) and MSCT images enabled the diagnosis of myocardial rupture.

Findings:

  • Postmortem MSCT and MRI effectively identified myocardial rupture in a severe blunt cardiac trauma case.
  • The imaging demonstrated dislocation of the heart, leading to the suspicion of pericardial rupture.

Implications:

  • Postmortem MSCT and MRI are valuable diagnostic tools for blunt cardiac trauma in forensic investigations.
  • These imaging modalities aid in the documentation and diagnosis of severe heart injuries in fatal accidents.

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