Human identification based on cranial computed tomography scan — a case report

Abstract

Today, there is increasing use of CT scanning on a clinical basis, aiding in the diagnosis of diseases or injuries. This exam also provides important information that allows identification of individuals. This paper reports the use of a CT scan on the skull, taken when the victim was alive, for the positive identification of a victim of a traffic accident in which the fingerprint analysis was impossible. The authors emphasize that the CT scan is a tool primarily used in clinical diagnosis and may contribute significantly to forensic purpose, allowing the exploration of virtual corpses before the classic autopsy. The use of CT scans might increase the quantity and quality of information involved in the death of the person examined. Dentomaxillofacial Radiology (2011) 40, 257-261. doi: 10.1259/dmfr/96080236Keywords: tomography; victim identification; skull; forensics Case reportAn adult male, initially unidentified, passed away as a result of a traffic accident. The body was transported to the regional Legal Medicine Institute for identification and routine medico-legal examinations: determining the cause of death, its circumstances and the instrument that caused it. After 30 days, the victim remained unidentified and the body had not been claimed by any next of kin. As a result, routine proceedings were conducted prior to burial, such as taking facial photographs and collecting post-mortem fingerprints and DNA samples.As the victim had been missing for a long period of time, the supposed family members searched for him in hospitals as well as with friends and relatives. The result of this search ultimately ended when the victim was recognized based on post-mortem photographs filed in the unclaimed bodies section of the Legal Medicine Institute where the body had been examined. Immediately, the standard fingerprints were requested, which should have been on file with the civil identification authorities. However, the file containing those fingerprints (taken when the victim was alive) could not be found, which made a comparison of the prints impossible. Therefore, another methodology for confirming the victim's identification became necessary, leading family members to search for information and documentation related to old medical and dental treatments as well as photographs of the missing person.The results of this investigation revealed the existence of a brain CT scan and seven thoracic and abdominal conventional radiographs. The imaging exams had been made approximately 6 years prior to the victim's death as part of the diagnosis for skull trauma, resulting from a traffic accident at the time. As a result of trauma, part of the parietal bone and part of the squamous portion of the temporal bone, both on the left side, were surgically removed. On the right side of the cranium, in the parietal bone, the victim was subjected to a surgical intervention for intracranial decompression, at which time a circular-shaped osteotomy was performed. Afterwards, the victim did not undergo a new surgical procedure to replace...

Cone-beam Computed Tomography Analysis of the Frontal Sinus in Forensic Investigation

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An analysis of cranial radiography in post-mortem recognition

“…This technique greatly facilitates the identification of individuals. Studies report that CT is a key tool in clinical diagnosis and can also be a support for identification in forensic investigations [21]. Also, CT scans are often used before conventional autopsy [22,23] on decomposed bodies [24] or even sometimes on human remains allowing identification and trace back to the cause of death [25].…”

Dentalna identifikacija endodontskim radiogramima: prikaz slučaja

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