{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,9]],"date-time":"2026-09-09T12:39:11Z","timestamp":1788957551631,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":16,"publisher":"Springer Science and Business Media LLC","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,26]],"date-time":"2025-12-26T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1766707200000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,26]],"date-time":"2025-12-26T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1766707200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100006447","name":"University of Zurich","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100006447","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["link.springer.com"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Int J Legal Med"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,5]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>Post-mortem imaging has become an important adjunct or alternative to autopsy in perinatal pathology and forensic medicine, particularly when conventional autopsy is limited or declined. However, high-field MRI, currently the post-mortem imaging gold standard for fetuses, is not always available in many forensic settings. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether a 0.31 Tesla low-field MRI scanner, which offers advantages in affordability, installation, infrastructural requirements such as reduced power, cooling, and shielding demands, and lower safety constraints associated with its field strength, can deliver diagnostically relevant information in post-mortem fetal examinations within a forensic context. Three fetuses underwent post-mortem low-field MRI prior to autopsy and histopathological assessment. Imaging findings were compared with autopsy results to evaluate diagnostic concordance and potential added value in a forensic context. Low-field MRI successfully identified key anatomical abnormalities: Fetus #1 showed a cerebral lesion on MRI that could not be recognized during the autopsy due to autolysis-related loss of structural integrity of the brain after opening the skullcap. Fetus #2 presented with a left-sided diaphragmatic hernia with enterothorax. Fetus #3 exhibited gastroschisis and a renal abnormality. Using the 0.31 Tesla low-field MRI scanner provided sufficient diagnostic detail to support and complement the forensic examinations of fetal deaths. It can improve the documentation and interpretation of findings in perinatal forensic cases, enhance diagnostic certainty in decomposed or fragile remains, and offer a viable alternative when parental refusal or legal constraints prevent full autopsy.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1007\/s00414-025-03698-6","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,26]],"date-time":"2025-12-26T01:05:33Z","timestamp":1766711133000},"page":"1435-1441","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/springer_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["First experience with 0.31 Tesla low-field MRI in post-mortem fetal examinations"],"prefix":"10.1007","volume":"140","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9004-4362","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Dominic","family":"Gascho","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0004-0145-6111","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Anna","family":"Kuntze","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7539-6033","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Eva","family":"Deininger-Czermak","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Christian","family":"Ottow","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Volker","family":"Vieth","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8095-3586","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Peter","family":"Barth","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0135-1617","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Andreas","family":"Schmeling","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5734-9524","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Tobias","family":"Kr\u00e4hling","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"297","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,26]]},"reference":[{"key":"3698_CR1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2876","DOI":"10.1007\/s00330-014-3313-8","volume":"24","author":"OJ Arthurs","year":"2014","unstructured":"Arthurs OJ, Thayyil S, Olsen OE et al (2014) Diagnostic accuracy of post-mortem MRI for thoracic abnormalities in fetuses and children. Eur Radiol 24:2876\u20132884. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s00330-014-3313-8","journal-title":"Eur Radiol"},{"key":"3698_CR2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"474","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ejrad.2014.11.030","volume":"84","author":"OJ Arthurs","year":"2015","unstructured":"Arthurs OJ, Thayyil S, Owens CM et al (2015) Diagnostic accuracy of post mortem MRI for abdominal abnormalities in foetuses and children. Eur J Radiol 84:474\u2013481. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.ejrad.2014.11.030","journal-title":"Eur J Radiol"},{"key":"3698_CR3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"509","DOI":"10.1007\/s00247-014-3266-8","volume":"45","author":"G Gorincour","year":"2015","unstructured":"Gorincour G, Sarda-Quarello L, Laurent P-E et al (2015) The future of pediatric and perinatal postmortem imaging. Pediatr Radiol 45:509\u2013516. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s00247-014-3266-8","journal-title":"Pediatr Radiol"},{"key":"3698_CR4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"493","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ajog.2020.04.034","volume":"223","author":"X Kang","year":"2020","unstructured":"Kang X, Carlin A, Cannie MM et al (2020) Fetal postmortem imaging: an overview of current techniques and future perspectives. Am J Obstet Gynecol 223:493\u2013515. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.ajog.2020.04.034","journal-title":"Am J Obstet Gynecol"},{"key":"3698_CR5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1141","DOI":"10.1007\/s00414-025-03461-x","volume":"139","author":"F Dedouit","year":"2025","unstructured":"Dedouit F, Ducloyer M, Elifritz J et al (2025) The current state of forensic imaging \u2013 post mortem imaging. Int J Legal Med 139:1141\u20131159. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s00414-025-03461-x","journal-title":"Int J Legal Med"},{"key":"3698_CR6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"273","DOI":"10.1007\/s00247-022-05485-6","volume":"53","author":"G Chambers","year":"2023","unstructured":"Chambers G, Shelmerdine SC, Aertsen M et al (2023) Current and future funding streams for paediatric postmortem imaging: European society of paediatric radiology survey results. Pediatr Radiol 53:273\u2013281. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s00247-022-05485-6","journal-title":"Pediatr Radiol"},{"key":"3698_CR7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e28859","DOI":"10.7759\/cureus.28859","volume":"14","author":"C Ashby","year":"2022","unstructured":"Ashby C, Razzak AN, Kogler A et al (2022) The practicality of Post-mortem imaging in Prenatal, Perinatal, and pediatric cases. Cureus 14:e28859. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.7759\/cureus.28859","journal-title":"Cureus"},{"key":"3698_CR8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","unstructured":"Marosi M, Gorincour G, Tuchtan-Torrents L et al (2024) Postmortem CT and MRI for detecting bowel obstruction in cases of pediatric sepsis deaths. Med Sci Law 00258024241274912. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/00258024241274912","DOI":"10.1177\/00258024241274912"},{"key":"3698_CR9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s00247-025-06337-9","author":"A D\u2019Hondt","year":"2025","unstructured":"D\u2019Hondt A, Shelmerdine S, Aertsen M et al (2025) Fetal and neonatal postmortem magnetic resonance imaging clinical protocol: recommendations from the European society of paediatric radiology postmortem task force. 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All procedures performed in this study involving human participants were carried out in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and\/or national research committee and with the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.","order":1,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Declarations"}},{"value":"None of the authors has a real or perceived conflict of interest in any of the material that is presented in the manuscript. One of the authors of this manuscript is a member of the Editorial Board of the journal. In accordance with the journal\u2019s policy, this author was not involved in the editorial handling or peer review of the manuscript. Editorial responsibility was assigned to another member of the Editorial Board, and the manuscript was subject to the same review process as any other submission. The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.","order":2,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Competing interests"}}]}}