Purpose: Cross-sectional imaging techniques have pioneered forensic medicine.
The involvement of a radiographer and formation of "forensic radiographers" allows
an improvement of the quality of radiological examinations and facilitates the
implementation of techniques, such as sample collections, and the performance
of post-mortem angiography.
Methods and Materials: During a period of three months, five radiographers with clinical
experience have undergone a special training in order to learn procedures dedicated
to forensic imaging. These procedures involved: I). acquisition of MDCT data, II). sample
collection for toxicological or histological analyses by performing CT-guided biopsies
and liquid sampling, III). post-mortem angiography and IV). post-processing of all data
acquired. To perform the post-mortem angiography, radiographers were in charge of
the preparation of the perfusion device and the investigated body. Therefore, cannulas
were inserted into the femoral vessels and connected to the machine. For angiography,
the radiographers had to synchronize the perfusion with the CT-acquisitions.
Results: All five radiographers have acquired new skills to become "forensic
radiographers". They were able to perform post-mortem MDCT, sample collection,
post-mortem angiography and post-processing of the acquired data all by
themselves. Most problems have been observed concerning the preparation of
the body for post-mortem angiography.
Conclusion: Our experience shows that radiographers are able to perform high
quality examinations after a short period of training. Their collaboration is well
accepted by the forensic team and regarding the increase of radiological exams
in forensic department, it would be nonsense to exclude radiographers from the
forensic-radiological team.