In the fifth webinar of the Post-mortem Computed Tomography (PMCT) webinar series, participants will be introduced to the use of PMCT in the investigation of natural deaths. At the New Mexico OMI, a PMCT scan may be used to rule out trauma in apparently natural deaths or to confirm a natural cause of death. Depending on investigative details (circumstances, age, and medical history), and the PMCT findings, pathologists may choose to perform an external exam or a full autopsy.
Participants will be introduced to the PMCT appearance of natural causes of death commonly encountered in the medical examiner setting. Cerebrovascular causes of death identified at PMCT include stroke, non-traumatic hemorrhage, and dementia. The PMCT appearance of cardiovascular disease findings such as cardiomegaly, atherosclerotic vascular disease, and ruptured aneurysms will be discussed. The lecture will also include a review of common PMCT findings in other chronic and acute conditions, including emphysema, chronic ethanolism, cancer, and COVID-19.