ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the role and scope of Forensic radiology (FR) and post-mortem (PM) imaging and how the different modalities may be used. The scope of FR is therefore wider and may include clinical cases seen in imaging departments, such as road traffic collisions, non-accidental injury, drug smuggling, and assault. FR and PM imaging are primarily conducted to assist in identifying the deceased and determining how death occurred. Fluoroscopy is also used in FR to provide an initial survey of the deceased, or provide “spot” films of an area of interest. Investigating the “cause of death” involves studying the relevant history and environment, an external examination of the body, and then an internal examination, normally performed by autopsy. Hypostasis can be seen as sedimentation of the blood on post-mortem computed tomography and may mask pathology, such as pulmonary thromboembolism, a frequent cause of sudden death.
