POSTMORTEM CRANIAL MRI AND AUTOPSY CORRELATION IN SUSPECTED CHILD-ABUSE

We investigated the correlation between postmortem magnetic resonance imaging (MRT) of the head and autopsy findings in suspected child abus e. Postmortem MRI was performed within 24 h of death and before autops y in 11 children 2 years old or younger whose deaths were unexplained or suspected to be due to child abuse. MRI findings were available to the pathologist at the time of autopsy. In eight cases of death from n onaccidental trauma, cerebral edema, contusion, shearing injury, ische mia, and infarction were well demonstrated on MRI. In the three deaths determined not to be due to trauma, there were no false-positive MRI findings. Autopsy was superior in detection of subarachnoid hemorrhage , suture separation, extracranial injuries, and very small subdural he matomas. MRI findings were useful in directing the autopsy and brain-c utting to focal areas of abnormality. Postmortem MRI and autopsy are c omplementary, and each may disclose abnormalities missed by the other. In half of the eight cases of child abuse examined, the combination o f MRI and autopsy added valuable information compared with the results of autopsy alone. Postmortem MRI can be a valuable addition to autops y findings in the investigation of fatalities potentially due to child abuse.