‘Virtual autopsy maintains dignity of deceased person’

 

 

 

 

 

Virtual autopsy, where the dead body is examined through CT Scan machine, is a new technique that helps in maintaining dignity of the deceased. Similar to how scanning is performed on a living person, a dead body is put in the CT scan machine where it generates images of the body within five minutes for forensic experts to examine it. Dr Abhishek Yadav, Professor and Head of the Department of Forensic Medicine at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi had been to Zurich, Switzerland. “There I saw virtual autopsy and it astonished me. They were using software laden with modern technology. There were no blood stains or any cut to the body, the doctors too stayed clean. The accuracy too was high because of advanced radiological modalities. I took training there and we started the same system at AIIMS, Delhi.”

 

Dr Yadav was in Nagpur for the 45th annual national conference of Indian Academy of Forensic Medicine (IAFM) underway at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Nagpur. The issue of providing dignity to the dead persons was raised in the Parliament and then virtual autopsy came into being. “In our country, there is no partial autopsy or post mortem. Bodies are cut completely. The Medico Legal Cases (MLCs) have different issues. When a person is brought dead to the hospital, the case gets the form of MLC. The cause is known but still autopsy is performed on such cases where the body faces disfigurement and relatives get hurt. The time taken is at least an hour per body. In virtual autopsy as we are performing in AIIMS, Delhi, only five minutes are consumed with high accuracy,” shared Dr Abhishek Yadav.