Postmortem CT lung findings in decedents with Covid-19: A review of 14 decedents and potential triage implications

Claimed medical malpractice in fatal SARS-CoV-2 infections: the importance of combining ante- and post-mortem radiological data and autopsy findings for correct forensic analysis

“…This pulmonary PMCT pattern was attributed to ARDS and confirmed by histopathological analysis of the lungs. These pulmonary alterations seen on PMCT largely resemble those reported in the literature for SARS-CoV-2 positive patients studied using PMCT 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 .…”

“…Concerning the possibility of attributing the cause of death by PMCT imaging of the lungs alone, with the support of post- ante-mortem swabs, we maintain that there is currently insufficient published literature [ 22 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 ] and the findings reported for assessment of SARS-CoV-2 infection of the lungs using PMCT are not sufficiently specific to propose this post-mortem imaging modality as an alternative to classical autopsy and histopathological analysis.…”

“…Post-mortem imaging, particularly PMCT, has been already proposed as a rapid and non-invasive method of post-mortem investigation to augment the number of cases examined and reduce the risk of infection for the operators [21] . Some evidence on the value of PMCT in COVID-19 cases has been reported [ 22 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 ].…”

Postmortem Chest Computed Tomography in Fatal COVID-19: A Valuable Diagnostic Tool for Minimally Invasive Autopsy

“…Few authors have used postmortem chest CT to study fatal COVID-19, but some case reports have been published (6)(7)(8)(9). Helmrich et al presented a case series in which postmortem chest CT was used as a triage tool to refer a body for conventional autopsy when no typical CT characteristics of COVID-19 were found (10). De-Giorgio et al used postmortem chest CT to confirm or exclude the disease and minimize risks of contagion to the autopsy team (11).…”

Use of post-mortem computed tomography during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Several reports suggest that PMCT findings in patients who have died of COVID-19 pneumonia are similar to those in the living, although unsurprisingly, more diffuse, suggesting more severe infection. 11,12 Diagnosis of COVID-19 pneumonia in the living and after death may be made more difficult due to the presence of pre-existing lung conditions or complications of COVID-19 infection such as pulmonary embolic disease, superimposed bacterial or fungal infection or heart failure.…”