Utilisation de la tomodensitométrie multi-barrette en anthropologie médico-légale

A charred body was found in a burned house. The degree of carbonization of the corpse was high and the body was not formally identified. An autopsy was made in order to research vital reactions or/and traumatic lesions and to permit identification of the corpse. Before cleaning bone and after the conventional autopsy, a multislice computed tomography (MSCT) was performed in order to assess radiological anthropological bone identification possibilities. The challenge was to determine, as fine as possible, ethnic, age, sex and pre mortem stature with two techniques: one with the MSCT and the other one with the �classical� osteological analysis. Final results of both techniques were compared. MSCT was able to answer to forth questions; osteological analysis was not. This case illustrates the potential contribution of MSCT in forensic anthropology.