ArticleEuropean radiology2014
Diagnostic accuracy of post-mortem MRI for thoracic abnormalities in fetuses and children.
Article in European radiology, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 27 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
27 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 67 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- Novel imaging techniques to study postmortem human fetal anatomy: a systematic review on microfocus-CT and ultra-high-field MRI.European radiology · 2020Pooled it
- Dutch guideline for clinical foetal-neonatal and paediatric post-mortem radiology, including a review of literature.European journal of pediatrics · 2018Guideline
- First experience with 0.31 Tesla low-field MRI in post-mortem fetal examinations.International journal of legal medicine · 2026Article
- Differentiating ante-mortem from post-mortem findings on fetal and pediatric post-mortem imaging.Pediatric radiology · 2026Review
- The current state of forensic imaging - post mortem imaging.International journal of legal medicine · 2025Review
- Added value of postmortem mri in sudden unexpected infant death cases.Forensic science, medicine, and pathology · 2025Article
- Development of A Micro-CT Scanner with Dual-Energy Option and Endovascular Contrast Agent Administration Protocol for Fetal and Neonatal Virtual Autopsy.Journal of imaging · 2024Article
- Body weight-based iodinated contrast immersion timing for human fetal postmortem microfocus computed tomography.BJR open · 2024Article
- Usefulness of virtual autopsy in diagnosing pathologies in the paediatric population: A systematic review.SAGE open medicine · 2023Review
- The Role and Place of Thanatoradiological Studies in the Pathological Examination of Fetuses and Newborns.Bulletin of experimental biology and medicine · 2022Article
- Comparison of postmortem whole-body contrast-enhanced microfocus computed tomography and high-field magnetic resonance imaging of human fetuses.Ultrasound in obstetrics & gynecology : the official journal of the International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology · 2022Article
- Human fetal whole-body postmortem microfocus computed tomographic imaging.Nature protocols · 2021Article
- Diagnostic accuracy of postmortem ultrasound vs postmortem 1.5-T MRI for non-invasive perinatal autopsy.Ultrasound in obstetrics & gynecology : the official journal of the International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology · 2021Article
- Perinatal post-mortem ultrasound (PMUS): radiological-pathological correlation.Insights into imaging · 2019Review
- Postmortem imaging as a complementary tool for the investigation of cardiac death.Forensic sciences research · 2019Review
- Diagnostic accuracy of perinatal post-mortem ultrasound (PMUS): a systematic review.BMJ paediatrics open · 2019Article
- Postmortem fetal magnetic resonance imaging: where do we stand?Insights into imaging · 2018Review
- Post-mortem whole-body magnetic resonance imaging of human fetuses: a comparison of 3-T vs. 1.5-T MR imaging with classical autopsy.European radiology · 2017Article
- Perinatal death investigations: What is current practice?Seminars in fetal & neonatal medicine · 2017Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
14 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesTo compare the diagnostic accuracy of post-mortem magnetic resonance imaging (PMMR) specifically for non-cardiac thoracic pathology in fetuses and children, compared with conventional autopsy.
methodsInstitutional ethics approval and parental consent was obtained. A total of 400 unselected fetuses and children underwent PMMR before conventional autopsy, reported blinded to the other dataset.
resultsOf 400 non-cardiac thoracic abnormalities, 113 (28 %) were found at autopsy. Overall sensitivity and specificity (95 % confidence interval) of PMMR for any thoracic pathology was poor at 39.6 % (31.0, 48.9) and 85.5 % (80.7, 89.2) respectively, with positive predictive value (PPV) 53.7 % (42.9, 64.0) and negative predictive value (NPV) 77.0 % (71.8, 81.4). Overall agreement was 71.8 % (67.1, 76.2). PMMR was most sensitive at detecting anatomical abnormalities, including pleural effusions and lung or thoracic hypoplasia, but particularly poor at detecting infection.
conclusionsPMMR currently has relatively poor diagnostic detection rates for the commonest intra-thoracic pathologies identified at autopsy in fetuses and children, including respiratory tract infection and diffuse alveolar haemorrhage. The reasonable NPV suggests that normal thoracic appearances at PMMR exclude the majority of important thoracic lesions at autopsy, and so could be useful in the context of minimally invasive autopsy for detecting non-cardiac thoracic abnormalities. KEY POINTS: • PMMR has relatively poor diagnostic detection rates for common intrathoracic pathology • The moderate NPV suggests that normal PMMR appearances exclude most important abnormalities • Lung sampling at autopsy remains the "gold standard" for pulmonary pathology.
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Registered trials
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