Virtopsy - an alternative to the conventional autopsy

D. Perju-Dumbrava, S. Anitan, C. Siserman, I. Fulga, I. Opincaru

Abstract: At present, the autopsy reports are based on a subjective, descriptive method. The technical progress of the imagistic domain led to the development of objective, non-invasive and non-destructive methods, whose utility manifested itself within forensic medicine, too. It developed the concept of virtopsy, an alternative to the conventional autopsy, using the imagistic modern techniques, whose results were quantified in comparison to this. Results show that in case of using this uniform and objective method that preserves the forensic evidence, some data important for the expertise, for instance regarding the morpho-pathological aspects, the vital signs and responses, the cause of death, the reconstruction of events- are superior to those provided by the conventional autopsy, existing though domains which offer fewer information. At the same time, virtopsy represents an alternative for the religious communities that do not accept the autopsy or impose strict conditions. Ethically, virtopsy ranges among the methods which support the respect for the human being, the right to intimacy even after death.
Keywords: autopsy, virtopsy