A Comparison of Coronary Artery Stenosis Estimates Made by Forensic Pathologists and Medical Students

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Pathology
• Medical Education
• Forensic Medicine

Background:

• Previous research indicates cardiovascular pathologists may be less accurate than non-cardiovascular pathologists in estimating coronary artery stenosis.
• The impact of specialized training on the accuracy of stenosis estimation requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the accuracy of coronary artery stenosis estimation between forensic pathologists and medical students.
• To evaluate whether forensic pathology training enhances accuracy in assessing coronary artery stenosis.

Main Methods:

• Six forensic pathologists and twelve medical students independently reviewed 24 images of coronary artery cross-sections.
• Each participant provided an estimated percentage of stenosis for each image.

Main Results:

• Forensic pathologists had a median difference of -12.38% between estimated and actual stenosis.
• Medical students had a median difference of -16.50% (p-value = 0.08542).
• No statistically significant difference in accuracy was observed between the two groups.

Conclusions:

• Forensic pathology training does not appear to significantly improve the accuracy of coronary artery stenosis estimation compared to medical students.
• The study suggests no consistent, statistically significant difference in accuracy between forensic pathologists and medical students for this task.