1st Edition
The Virtopsy Approach 3D Optical and Radiological Scanning and Reconstruction in Forensic Medicine
Charred, badly decomposed, or mummified corpses, as well as those restrictions forced upon coroners by certain religious sects, often make autopsies impossible to perform. In addition, lack of manpower among the personnel charged with performing autopsies frequently creates a backlog of cases in the coroner’s office. This delay increases the likelihood that causes of death will go undetermined and criminal perpetrators will go unpunished. The solution can be found in what has come to be known as the virtopsy®, a minimally invasive and efficient way to perform an autopsy through state-of-the-art imaging-guided means.
A term coined by noted forensic pathologist Richard Dirnhofer, virtopsy refers to "virtual autopsy," a modality that employs a spectrum of technologies including computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy, and 3D photogrammetry and surface scanning. In The Virtopsy Approach: 3D Optical and Radiological Scanning and Reconstruction in Forensic Medicine, the authors reveal a comprehensive summary of the virtopsy procedure. Well-organized, detailed enough to serve as a how-to guide for newcomers to the field, and copiously illustrated with many color figures accompanied by appropriate explanatory captions, this volume breaks new ground in the world of autopsy science.
Biography
Michael Thali, Richard Dirnhofer, Peter Vock
This excellent text is not an endpoint in these exciting develop-ments but a stepping-stone which may motivate forensic scientists to tackle the many unsolved problems and questions in forensic science using modem methods that have proven their enormous value in chemistry and medicine.
—Dr. Michael J. Shkrum, Department of Pathology London Health Sciences Centre, Canadian Society of Forensic Scienc, Vol. 43, No. 1, March 2010
… an excellent compendium of information about one of the latest techniques of autopsy - the virtual autopsy or virtopsy as it is more commonly known.
—Anil Aggrawal's Internet Journal of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology