ArticlePediatric radiology2022
Postmortem computed tomography plus forensic autopsy for determining the cause of death in child fatalities.
Article in Pediatric radiology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 8 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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
8 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 10 citations in OpenAlex.
- Post-mortem imaging in suspected child physical abuse: a systematic review.European radiology · 2026Pooled it
- Current Practices in Postmortem Investigation of Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy.Acta paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992) · 2026Article
- Autopsy in sudden unexplained death in youth: indispensable or in some cases redundant? An observational study.European journal of pediatrics · 2026Observational
- The current state of forensic imaging - post mortem imaging.International journal of legal medicine · 2025Review
- Pediatric forensic postmortem computed tomography: basics to advanced.Pediatric radiology · 2025Review
- Postmortem diagnostics in sudden unexpected death in infants and children: use and utility.European journal of pediatrics · 2025Observational
- Clinical Significance of Whole-Body Computed Tomography Scans in Pediatric Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Patients Without Prehospital Return of Spontaneous Circulation.Diseases (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Unexplained and Unexpected Pediatric Deaths: Forensic Review and New Perspectives.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
5 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPostmortem computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging have been gradually introduced to forensic pathology centres over the past two decades, with varying results in comparison to autopsy.
objectiveThe purpose of this study was to determine the accuracy of postmortem CT in determining a cause of death in children who died of unnatural causes. MATERIALS AND
methodsThis was a prospective recruitment of 30 children (< 18 years) who underwent postmortem CT and a forensic autopsy. A cause of death was independently assigned by two experienced paediatric radiologists and compared to that of the forensic autopsy.
resultsA correct cause of death was assigned by reviewers 1 and 2 in 70% (n = 21/30) and 67% (n = 20/30) of cases, respectively. For gunshot injuries and blunt force head injuries, there was 91% (n = 10/11) and 100% (n = 6/6) agreement between forensic autopsy and both reviewers, respectively. No cause of death could be assigned by reviewers 1 and 2 in 27% (n = 8) and 30% (n = 9) of cases, respectively. An incorrect cause of death was assigned by both reviewers in one case (3%). The Cohen Kappa level of agreement between the forensic autopsy and reviewers 1 and 2 was k = 0.624 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.45-0.80, P = 0) and k = 0.582 (95% CI 0.41-0.76, P = 0), respectively. There was near perfect agreement between reviewers 1 and 2 (k = 0.905) (95% CI 0.78-1.00, P = 0).
conclusionPostmortem CT has good diagnostic accuracy for identifying a cause of death related to trauma, but it has poor accuracy for children dying from causes not associated with apparent physical injury.
Indexed as
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.