ArticleBJR open2019
Post-mortem computed tomography in adult non-suspicious death investigation-evaluation of an NHS based service.
Article in BJR open, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Detection of myocardial infarction by postmortem CT combined with radiomics-based machine-learning analysis.European radiology experimental · 2026Article
- Medico-legal considerations in post-mortem imaging data: governance, ethics, and evidential use.BJR open · 2026Review
- Review
- The value of PMCTA in the diagnosis of coronary atherosclerosis in isolated human hearts.Forensic sciences research · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectivePost-mortem CT (PMCT) can replace autopsy in many cases of non-suspicious death. A purely NHS-based service to replace autopsy with PMCT was launched, with the cost met by the family from 2015 to 2017, and subsequently "free at the point of delivery" after local authority funding was secured. The aim of the service was to improve the experience for the families. This report describes and evaluates the service against local standards of (1) less than four day turn around, (2) cause of death given in >90% and (3) less than 10% require autopsy.
methodsA retrospective review of reports, records and emails was undertaken to collate demographics, times of different stages of the process, the outcome and comments from service users.
resultsBetween July 2015 and July 2018, 279 patients had PMCT scans, 67 (24.0%) in the family-funded service and 212 (76%) in the current service. 97.1% (
conclusionThe services exceeded local standards and met the needs of the Coroner and the families based on the feedback received. This model could be employed for similar services, but the change to the logistics and financial structures required to initiate such services remains a significant hurdle. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: This is the first report of a fully NHS-based PMCT service.
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.