Resulting data can be archived and reproduced without loss, analysed elsewhere, or distributed to specialists for technically demanding analysis.
Because traditional autopsies can produce both different and additional findings compared to virtopsies, virtopsy is not a generally accepted method to entirely replace autopsies. In fact, the first scientific study detailing the results of comparing postmortem CT scanning with conventional autopsies concluded that single methods were not as useful as the combination of scanning and autopsy were.
The term “Virtobot” is a trademark also registered to Prof. R. Dirnhofer. It describes a multi-functional robotic system.
The "Virtangio" machine is a device that is trademarked to Prof. R. Dirnhofer and manufactured by Fumedica [1].
With Prof. Michael Thali as operative head of the group, the virtopsy research team has operated out of the Institute of Forensic Medicine at the University of Zurich, Switzerland since early 2011.
The idea to conduct virtual autopsy is not new. In 2003, the British Museum contacted the Institute of Forensic Medicine for their help performing a virtopsy on a 3000-year-old mummy named Nesperennub, as an autopsy could not be done without compromising the body. While manner of death, cause of death, time of death, identification of deceased and a range of practical and reconstructive applications are obviously related to medicolegal investigation of death, virtopsy methods were ground breaking in that they have established a new high-tech toolbox into both research and practice morphological investigation aspects of modern forensic pathology.
Since virtopsy is non-invasive, it can be less traumatic for surviving family members and may not violate religious taboos against violating bodily integrity.
Non-invasive imaging is also conducted in living or surviving subjects, but as that has been the main clinical application of CT and MR imaging to begin with, their use in medicolegal investigation of the living is not as ground breaking as using them for investigation of death. Nevertheless, a number of applications that may be regarded as specific for medicolegal imaging applications in the living have found attraction for virtopsy-derived methods:
The virtopsy idea was generated to yield results along a comprehensive number of performance indicators:
The National Research Council in the USA, as part of its proposals for reforms in the forensic sciences, has proposed virtopsy as “Best Practice” for the gathering of forensic evidence.
A Technical Working Group Forensic Imaging Methods was founded in 2005 by Michael Thali and Richard Dirnhofer. It aims to promote an increasingly internationally standardised approach.
Furthermore, a Technical Working Group Postmortem Angiography Methods was founded in 2012 to promote best practice. Under the direction of the University Hospital of Lausanne and comprising nine European institutes of forensic medicine, it is developing reliable, standardized methods and guidelines for conducting and assessing postmortem angiographic examinations.
"VIRTOPSY - wirtschaft.ch - trademarks - Universität Bern Institut für Rechtsmedizin (IRM) Prof. Dr. R. Dirnhofer, Direktor Bern - Trademark no. P-491277 - Application no. 04728/2001". wirtschaft.ch. Retrieved 2013-08-28. http://www.wirtschaft.ch/trademarks/VIRTOPSY/Universitaet+Bern/Prof+Dr+R+Dirnhofer+Direktor/04728/2001/
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