After establishing a postmortem circulation by diesel oil perfusion, angiography can be performed by injection of Lipiodol Ultra Fluide. The resolution of the images obtained up to 3 days after death is comparable to that achieved in clinical angiography.

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Serial magnetic resonance imaging studies were performed in 28 patients undergoing primary radiation therapy for invasive cervical cancer. T2-weighted spin-echo pulse sequences with long repetition times (2,500 msec) and echo times (30-100 msec) were used at a field strength of 1.5 T. Eighteen tumors responded promptly to radiation therapy with a volume reduction and significant decrease of signal intensity in the early posttreatment phase (1-3 months) and with total tumor regression at 1-6 months (immediate responders). At 6 months seven tumors were visible as residual tumors with declining signal intensity; all seven of these tumors had resolved at 9 months (delayed responders). Thus, a delayed response with residual tumor at 6 months was still compatible with subsequent clinical cure. The tumors showed progression and no marked change in signal intensity (nonresponders). Primary tumors with a volume of more than 50 cm3 were more likely to have no or delayed response. An early (2-3 months) and significant decrease in the signal intensity and volume of a tumor indicates a favorable response. Large primary tumors may show a delayed response.

Background. Undifferentiated (embryonal) sarcoma of the liver is a rare, highly malignant, mesenchymal tumor presenting predominantly in late childhood. Four girls, ages 6–13 years, who were treated with combined‐modality regimens are reported. Methods. In the first and second patients, hemihepa‐tectomy resulted in complete removal of the tumor, and multiple‐agent chemotherapy was administered postoperatively. In the third patient, only partial resection could be accomplished initially. By synchronous radiation therapy and chemotherapy, the tumor decreased to an extent that it could be resected completely and was totally devitalized on histologic examination. Postoperative chemotherapy was discontinued after 8 weeks. In the fourth patient, the tumor was not resectable at diagnostic biopsy. Polychemotherapy led to a significant reduction of the tumor size, and resection with clear margins could be performed subsequently. Because histologic necrosis amounted to about 95%, postoperative chemotherapy was also discontinued after 6 weeks. Results. All four patients remain well without evidence of tumor recurrence after 79, 41, 36, and 22 months from diagnosis. Conclusions. The authors suggest that a multimodal therapeutic regimen should be used in patients with undifferentiated hepatic sarcoma.

Traumatic lesions of the subcutaneous fatty tissue provide important clues for forensic reconstruction. The interpretation of these patterns requires a precise description and recording of the position and extent of each lesion. During conventional autopsy, this evaluation is performed by dissecting the skin and subcutaneous tissues in successive layers. In this way, depending on the force and type of impact (right angle or tangent), several morphologically distinct stages of fatty tissue damage can be differentiated: perilobular hemorrhage (I), contusion (II), or disintegration (III) of the fat lobuli, and disintegration with development of a subcutaneous cavity (IV). In examples of virtopsy cases showing blunt trauma to the skin and fatty tissue, we analyzed whether these lesions can also be recorded and classified using multislice computed tomography (MSCT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). MSCT has proven to be a valuable screening method to detect the lesions, but MRI is necessary in order to properly differentiate and classify the grade of damage. These noninvasive radiological diagnostic tools can be further developed to play an important role in forensic examinations, in particular when it comes to evaluating living trauma victims.