ArticleForensic science, medicine, and pathology2020
The added value of postmortem magnetic resonance imaging in cases of hanging compared to postmortem computed tomography and autopsy.
Article in Forensic science, medicine, and pathology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 16 citations in OpenAlex.
- Comparison of the diagnostic efficacy of postmortem computed tomography and traditional autopsy in fracture detection: a meta-analysis.International journal of legal medicine · 2026Pooled it
- Diagnostic accuracy of post-mortem computed tomography for fractures of the hyoid-larynx complex.International journal of legal medicine · 2024Pooled it
- The added value of post-mortem MRI in forensic imaging: an observational study in the Netherlands.Insights into imaging · 2026Article
- Death by hanging: possibilities and limits of medico-legal evidence.International journal of legal medicine · 2026Review
- Article
- The current state of forensic imaging - post mortem imaging.International journal of legal medicine · 2025Review
- The Current Status of Virtual Autopsy Using Combined Imaging Modalities: A Scoping Review.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Review
- Enhancing Forensic Diagnostics: Structured Reporting of Post-Mortem CT versus Autopsy for Laryngohyoid Complex Fractures in Strangulation.Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- A Case of Hanging with Limited Specific Postmortem Brain Imaging.NMC case report journal · 2024Article
- Comparison of findings identified at traditional invasive autopsy and postmortem computed tomography in suicidal hangings.International journal of legal medicine · 2022Article
- Incidence and factor analysis of laryngohyoid fractures in hanging individuals-computed tomography study.European radiology · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the added value of postmortem magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) compared to postmortem computed tomography (CT) and autopsy in cases of fatal hanging. In addition, the study analyzed the strengths of each examination method regarding typical injuries in these cases. We investigated a cohort of 25 decedents who underwent CT, MRI and autopsy. Two radiologists assessed all MR images of the head and neck as well as the corresponding CT images. The results were compared to autopsy findings by retrospectively analyzing the autopsy reports. Postmortem MRI revealed intramuscular hemorrhages in a large number of cases, however, autopsy did not confirm all of the detected hemorrhages. CT and autopsy detected fractures in several cases, whereas MRI showed a fracture in just one single case. Other previously described vital signs and relevant findings, such as fracture-related gas bubbles, soft tissue emphysema or pneumomediastinum, were observed in only a few individual cases. MRI provided added diagnostic value in the detection of soft tissue injuries and lymph node swelling in fatal hangings. As an adjunct to autopsy, postmortem MRI may reveal additional hemorrhages, which might be missed at autopsy. Since standard MRI demonstrated low sensitivity for the detection of fractures, an additional imaging modality or autopsy is required to overcome this limitation.
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Registered trials
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