Postmortem Imaging is on the rise …an international study

Dear participant,

This questionnaire is part of our study regarding postmortem radiology worldwide. Our scope is to explore and depict worldwide involvement in this forensic topic. Country, institute, medical specialty, imaging modality used, are some of the information to be collected.

In order to detect all involved institutions, we used an existing endnote-database, which includes all publications on this topic. This database was created by a librarian in a systematic search way.

Your details were found in at least one publication as a corresponding author on this list and you represent with your answers your Institution in this study.

The information will be anonymized, analyzed and the results will be published as a research article, part of a doctoral thesis.

Please take a few minutes to answer the following questions and become part of this global study. The attached link will be valid for one month.

Thank you in advance for your contribution and stay tuned!

Professor M.J. Thali, eMBA

University of Zurich

Institute of Forensic Medicine

Virtopsy

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* 1. Following information is collected to ascertain that each institute is represented once.

Institute

Ort

Country

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* 2. How many autopsies do you perform at your institute?

0-100 autopsies/year

100-500 autopsies/year

500-1000 autopsies/year

more than 1000 autopsies/year

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* 3. Do you perform postmortem imaging (PMI)?

yes

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* 4. Since when do you use it? (1980-present year)

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* 5. For whom/Which client?

private client

prosecutor

institute of forensic medicine

police

research

other (please specify)

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* 6. Which modality do you use?

PMCT (Postmortem computed tomography)

PMCTA (PMCT angiography)

PMCT-Biopsy

PMMR (postmortem magnetic resonance imaging)

PMMRA (PMMR angiography)

PMMR-Spectroscopy

konventional X-ray

LODOX

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* 7. Which cases undergo a postmortem radiological examination in your institute?

all cases

only cases that are can be included in ongoing research projects

according to an internal “indications catalogue” (please mark the indications below):

homicide

strangulation

drowning

decomposed

natural

intoxication

identification

trauma

children

other (please specify)

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* 8. Who does perform the scans?

radiology technician

autopsy technician

physician

other (please specify)

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* 9. PM imaging as an alternative to autopsy: If cause and manner of death can be ascertained by postmortem imaging...

...an autopsy must be always performed, even if cause and manner of death are ascertained by pm imaging

...an autopsy is not mandatory, it depends on the case circumstances. This happens usually.

...an autopsy is not mandatory, it depends on the case circumstances. This happens some times.

...an autopsy is not mandatory, it depends on the case circumstances. This happens rarely.

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* 10. Who reads the radiological images and writes the postmortem imaging reports?

clinical radiologist

forensic radiologist

a forensic pathologist reads the images and writes the reports

a forensic pathologist reads the images but a radiologists writes the reports

both, pathologists and radiologists read images and write reports

other (please specify)

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* 11. Has the person who reports the images attended a special postmortem imaging course?

yes

no, but he/she has many years of experience in postmortem imaging

other (please specify)

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* 12. Is the reporting person blinded to the case circumstances or is he/she informed?

The reporting person is blinded.

The reporting person is not blinded.

other (please specify)

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* 13. How are the postmortem imaging findings communicated?

orally

written report

illustrated (images of the findings)

written report and illustrated

other (please specify)

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* 14. Does the pathologist get the radiological information before the autopsy?

yes

depends on the case

other (please specify)

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* 15. Do you perform forensic evaluations of clinical radiological examinations?

yes

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* 16. By whom?

clinical radiologists

forensic radiologists

forensic pathologists

other (please specify)

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* 17. Is the radiological infrastructure located in your institute? If yes, which one?

CT-Scan

MRI-Scan

X-Ray

LODOX (full-body X-Ray)

other (please specify)

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* 18. Are you a member of a postmortem imaging society?

yes, ISFRI

yes, other (please specify)

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* 19. Are you aware of other institutes in your country which also perform postmortem imaging?

yes (please provide the name of the institute and if possible a contact person)