Authors
Nisruti Anuja Behura
Abstract
Forensic radiology is a new and a developing technique which combines medical imaging and forensics to aid death investigation. In the last 20 years, the development of imaging technologies has provided the possibility of studying the dead person, especially by means of Post Mortem Computed Tomography (PMCT) and Post Mortem Magnetic Resonance imaging (PMMRI). Forensic radiology helps solve legal cases by using imaging to identify victims, detect injuries from accidents or abuse, and analyze things like bite marks or dental patterns. It’s also used to estimate age and identify people through unique skull features like the frontal sinuses. The complex skeletal radiological process such as the study of hand-wrist bones, clavicle, bone pelvis, etc enables precise age and sex identification particularly in scenarios where there is skeletal remains. Imaging using X ray, CT scan, MRI, post mortem angiography and virtual autopsy (Virtopsy) aids in high-resolution inner investigations, 3D reproductions and wound documentations. Forensic radiology has strengths, such as, being culturally sensitive, complete, non-invasive, and having permanent digital records. But it has issues which are a high cost of access, restricted accessibility and special labor requirements. Ethical issues are consent, confidentiality, and respect of culture. Recent surveys have also indicated increasing appreciation of forensics radiology via the digital mediums although there is no formal training. The effective and widespread application of forensic radiology in such countries as India necessitates reasonable investments, interagency collaboration, and national standards to make the best of it in terms of medicolegal investigations.