Post-mortem computed tomography for forensic applications: A systematic review of gunshot deaths

Abstract

The first reported application of computed tomography (CT) to the field of forensic medicine was in 1977 for the study of gunshot injuries to the head. Since then, CT scanning has shown increased uses within the field of forensic practice. In this study a systematic literature search was carried out by consulting 17 electronic scientific databases. This systematic review considers studies published to date concerning the use of post-mortem CT (PMCT) in gunshot injury cases; this review shows variability between the PMCT and autopsy examination findings. Furthermore we identify the technical differences between the selected studies, emphasizing the specific findings obtainable with PMCT, in order to support forensic research towards shared and validated practices, whose results are used as evidence in the courtroom.