Journal of cardiovascular magnetic resonance : official journal of the Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance
-
J Cardiovasc Magn Reson · Jun 2014
Comparative StudyComparison of conventional autopsy and magnetic resonance imaging in determining the cause of sudden death in the young.
Sudden death in the young is a tragic complication of a number of medical diseases. There is limited data regarding the utility of post-mortem Magnetic Resonance (MR) imaging and Computer Tomography (CT) scanning in determining the cause of sudden death. This study sought to compare the accuracy of post-mortem cross-sectional imaging (MR and CT) with the conventional autopsy in determining the cause of sudden death in the young. ⋯ Dedicated post-mortem MR imaging of the heart and brain is a useful modality in determining the cause of sudden death in children and young adults, particularly in situations where a conventional autopsy cannot be performed for logistic, cultural or personal reasons.