Purpose: To determine if postmortem computed tomography (CT) and postmortem CT angiography help to detect more lesions than autopsy in postmortem examinations, to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each method, and to define their indications. Materials and Methods:Postmortem CT angiography was performed on 500 human corpses and followed by conventional autopsy. Nine centers were involved. All CT images were read by an experienced team including one forensic pathologist and one radiologist, blinded to the autopsy results. All findings were recorded for each method and categorized by anatomic structure (bone, organ parenchyma, soft tissue, and vascular) and relative importance in the forensic case (essential, useful, and unimportant).

Injuries resulting from blows with beer steins are a frequent occurrence during annual autumn fairs or at beer halls in South Germany and Austria. The majority of these cases are tried in court and thus being assessed by a forensic medicine expert. The article at hand gives a short overview on the injury potential of one-litre beer steins and explains the key variables to consider when analyzing beer stein injuries. On the basis of representative cases, which were assessed by specialists from the Institute of Legal Medicine of the Munich University over the last 5 years, the main biomechanical aspects and resulting injuries of one-litre beer stein assaults are discussed. Several severe and potentially life-threatening injuries have been observed after an assault with a one-litre beer stein. There is a discrepancy between the mechanical stability of brand new and used steins and the corresponding injuries, which can be explained by a decrease in impact tolerance of the steins with their use. In general, a blow with a one-litre glass or stonework beer stein to the head can cause severe and even life-threatening blunt as well as sharp trauma injuries.

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An approximately 25-year-old skier collided in a ski-run intersection. At high speed, he first hit another skier and then smashed into a snow cannon. He died from his injuries a short time later in hospital. A whole-body CT scan was conducted under resuscitation conditions, which was followed by an autopsy. The investigation revealed a severe blunt thoracic trauma as cause of death. The detailed analysis was the result of the combination of the two methods of investigation, CT scan and autopsy. The methods complemented each other effectively and allowed for a detailed presentation of the injury pattern. In conjunction with the additional analytical accident report, this combination of CT scan and autopsy contributes towards a reconstruction of accidents and the development of prevention measures and related protective systems.

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