'Virtopsy ’(Virtual Autopsy)-How Far is it Feasible in our Country?

Radiological techniques have been in use in the field of Forensic Medicine for more than 100 years. In the recent past, Computed Tomography (CT) has gained a lot of importance the world over, in our field as an important tool for documentation and analysis of postmortem findings, either on its own or in combination with Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), due to newer innovations and decreasing cost. Newer terms have been coined in this area by researchers in the field-Virtopsy (Virtual Autopsy), Forensic Geomatics, etc. In some of the countries, these techniques have replaced the traditional autopsy methods for postmortem examination purposes.

In our country, it has been made mandatory that a proper and well equipped mortuary of a tertiary care center should have a digital X ray unit. How many mortuaries have complied with this? Are these techniques and innovations of use in our country, where simple basics like gloves/scalpel blades/containers for viscera preservation, etc are woefully missing and have to be sourced from the relatives of the deceased? We even lack proper cold chambers in proper working condition in most of our mortuaries. We have to depend on/are at the mercy of the Dept. of Radiology for even an X ray of the body. We should first strive to make the mortuaries, up to district level self-sufficient, before we can even think of such techniques. May be one or two premier institutes can be provided with these facilities so that further research in this field in Indian conditions can be undertaken.