Virtopsy: A Review on Non-Invasive Imaging Approach in Forensic Autopsy

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6239-610-4_53How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Virtopsy; Imaging techniques; Medico-legal evidence; Noninvasive

Abstract

Virtopsy, or virtual autopsy, is a major technological development in forensic science and has emerged as a practical alternative and supplement to conventional postmortem examinations in the digital era. It relies on advanced imaging methods, such as computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and other radiological tools, to examine the human body and assist in determining the cause of death. By avoiding surgical dissection, virtopsy can shorten the examination time and support a more precise, systematic, and non-invasive assessment of the deceased. This approach proved especially useful during the COVID-19 pandemic, when traditional autopsies carried a higher infection risk because of direct contact with the body. In such situations, virtopsy enables detailed postmortem evaluation while significantly reducing exposure to forensic staff. Although conventional autopsy is still regarded as a reliable and well-established procedure, the addition of modern imaging modalities through virtopsy offers improved visualization of internal structures and body cavities compared to conventional autopsy. The generated digital images and datasets can be stored, revisited, and presented as robust forensic evidence in legal proceedings. Overall, virtopsy functions as a promising adjunct to traditional autopsy, strengthening medico-legal examinations and supporting the integration of digital evidence within forensic practice.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Manamel Sneha
AU  - Gaddamidi Jeevaraj
AU  - Shaik Nayeem
AU  - M. R. Architha
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/05/05
TI  - Virtopsy: A Review on Non-Invasive Imaging Approach in Forensic Autopsy
BT  - Proceedings of the First International Conference on Advances in Forensics and Cyber Technologies (ICFACT 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 645
EP  - 657
SN  - 2352-538X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6239-610-4_53
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6239-610-4_53
ID  - Sneha2026
ER  -