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Updated: Jan 30, 2026

Image Rendering Techniques in Postmortem Computed Tomography: Evaluation of Biological Health and Profile in Stranded Cetaceans
Published on: September 27, 2020
Comparison of the diagnostic efficacy of postmortem computed tomography and traditional autopsy in fracture
Jia-Ying Han1, Yang Li2, Xi Xia1
1School of Forensic Medicine, China Medical University, No.77, Puhe Road, Shenbei New District, Shenyang, 110122, P.R. China.
Objective:
To systematically evaluate the diagnostic performance of postmortem computed tomography (PMCT) versus traditional autopsy in the detection of fracture.
Methods:
The database of PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, and Web of Science were searched to screen the studies comparing PMCT and autopsy in fracture detection from 1 January 1994 to 23 January 2025. Relevant data was extracted for calculating sensitivity and specificity. The QUADAS-2 tool was used for bias assessment and a random effects model was used for meta-analysis.
Results:
A total of 22 studies were included in the meta-analysis containing 1757 fracture cases, covering 7 anatomical sites. All deceased were scanned on multi-slice scanners with comparable parameters. Images were evaluated by radiologists or pathologists. The meta-analysis found that the pooled sensitivity and specificity were 0.87 (95% CI: 0.85-0.89) and 0.97 (95% CI: 0.97-0.98) for PMCT, respectively. Compared to conventional autopsy, positive likelihood ratio (PLR) was 19.74 (95% CI: 12.66-30.79), negative likelihood ratio (NLR) was 0.15 (95% CI: 0.11-0.20), and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was 0.97.
Conclusion:
By Demonstrating high diagnostic efficacy for fracture detection, PMCT provides the valuable adjunctive support to traditional autopsy. It can improve the precision and efficiency of forensic examination.
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