Reliability of Antemortem CT Scan Findings as an Adjunct to Autopsy in Visualizing Intracranial Hemorrhage

Introduction A number of studies have been conducted worldwide comparing postmortem CT with autopsy findings, highlighting the significance of each. However, the question arises: in countries where such facilities are not available, can diagnostic antemortem CT, performed during treatment, be used as an adjunct to autopsy? This study was carried out to compare antemortem CT scan and autopsy findings of intracranial haemorrhages in cases of fatal head injuries. Materials and methods The study comprised a total of 55 cases of fatal head injuries that were brought for medico-legal postmortem examination at a tertiary care hospital during a period of one year. The various intracranial haemorrhages were duly noted during the autopsy procedure and subsequently compared retrospectively with the respective antemortem CT scan findings. Results and conclusion In the current study, the specificity was found to be 100% for subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH), intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH), and brain haemorrhage (BH). In contrast to the above-mentioned haemorrhages, specificity was 50% for cerebral contusions. The areas of the temporal lobe, occipital lobe, and cerebellum were poorly visualized on CT scan; hence, the sensitivity of detecting contusions in these sites was 35.7%, 40%, and 30.7%, respectively. Thus, we would like to emphasize that when antemortem CT and autopsy findings are considered together, a wider range of information can be gathered.