Virtual Autopsy

About the Program

Category: Criminal Justice and Public Safety (Best in Category)

Year: 2018

The Department of Medical Examiner – Coroner has utilized computed tomography (CT) studies to examine 2300 deceased individuals in cases that are homicides, children 5-years-of-age and younger, deaths in custody, deaths due to blunt trauma, and cases where there is a religious objection to autopsy. The project was initiated in September of 2016. The purpose of this project was to improve accuracy of diagnoses, improve turnaround time by the conduct of virtual autopsy and minimize the operational cost for the County of Los Angeles. We believe that the integration of CT scanners into autopsy settings represents the future of forensic pathology in the United States, not only for improving the quality of death investigations, but also for optimizing the efficient use of the pathologist services. We have improved the turnaround time for cases where individuals die in traffic accidents (completing a case in one day rather than two days). The savings cost for the County since September 2016 is at least $3,450,000 and it is expected to reduce the cost by at least 50% in the future. We have improved our diagnostic accuracy in cervical spine and pelvic injuries and substantially increased our diagnostic accuracy in cases where there is a religious objection to autopsy by using CT scanner images alone.