Needle placement accuracy in CT-guided robotic post mortem biopsy

Abstract

Forensic autopsies include a thorough examination of the corpse to detect the source or alleged manner of death as well as to estimate the time since death. However, a full autopsy may be not feasible due to limited time, cost or ethical objections by relatives. Hence, we propose an automated minimal invasive needle biopsy system with a robotic arm, which does not require any online calibrations during a procedure. The proposed system can be easily integrated into the workflow of a forensic biopsy since the robot can be flexibly positioned relative to the corpse. With our proposed system, we performed needle insertions into wax phantoms and livers of two corpses and achieved an accuracy of 4.34 ± 1.27 mm and 10.81 ± 4.44 mm respectively.

Diagnostic value of T1- and T2-weighted 3-Tesla MRI for postmortem detection and age stage classification of myocardial infarction

“…This provides the opportunity to evaluate peracute infarcts, which are difficult to detect macroscopically, for detectability by MRI or after sampling by other investigative techniques. However, it is also worth noting the general problems and challenges of image-guided postmortem biopsy, such as mediocre predictive values and needle placement accuracy [16,17]. Nevertheless, T 2 -weighted images do provide distinguishing features that allow detection of the infarct area and determination of the age stage, making noninvasive postmortem MRI a valuable tool for research.…”