The value of magnetic resonance imaging in forensic investigation: a mapping review

Although Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is gaining momentum in forensic and post-mortem settings, its exact role in forensic investigations is yet to be determined. The current review aims to chart current and potential roles of MRI in forensic investigations, providing an overview of existing pertinent scientific literature.

A mapping review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. Medline, Web of Science, Embase and the Cochrane Library were searched using database-specific syntaxes. Eligible articles included reviews, original research, case reports, letters, laboratory studies, and dissertations written in English. Articles not mentioning MRI, involving only functional MRI, and non-forensic clinical post-mortem examinations were excluded. Articles were categorised using thematic analysis. Data extraction included first-author country of origin, year of publication, level of evidence, and mention of MRI-protocol.

The initial search yielded 16,184 papers, 525 of which were included. Main focus of forensic MRI research is in medicolegal examination (n = 285), identification (n = 158), and process optimisation (n = 155); 73 articles were multi-categorical, and myriad subcategories were identified (foetus/child/adult, living/postmortem, anatomical regions, practice/guidelines/infrastructure, etc.). Articles were published over a 34-year period, originating from 34 countries. There were 235 level C-, 289 level B-, and 2 level A-evidence articles. 268 articles mentioned MRI protocols.

The extensive amount of research across myriad subcategories highlights vast potential of MRI in forensic investigation. However, the overall level of evidence at this time is low, lacking standardisation. Further organization, standardization, and high-quality research are needed to clarify how best to apply MRI in forensic settings.