Fig. 18
From: Burned bodies: post-mortem computed tomography, an essential tool for modern forensic medicine
The unidentified charred body of a 70-year-old man found in a burning house. a, b Axial plane PMCT images show large soft-tissue loss on the body’s left side with peritoneal interruption and evisceration (thick white arrows). Note the multiple, rounded, low-density images in the gall bladder (thin white arrow) corresponding to cholesterol lithiasis in autopsy. c The visualisation of the prostate (black arrow) confirms a male victim. Notice that despite the left abdominal wall and soft tissue burning, it is difficult to confirm the peritoneum’s integrity on the lower abdominal part (arrowheads). It is also important to report the availability of urine in the bladder for fluid sampling and toxicological analysis (asterisk). d Autopsy picture of the same body. Despite its burned macroscopic aspect (white dashed arrow), the liver density remains unchanged on the PMCT axial plane (85 HU) (a)