Autopsy includes a thorough examination of a cadaver related to cause and manner of death. Digital autopsy refers to the use of modern medical imaging and computer technologies to obtain the images of internal body structures and organs of human body in a non-invasive or minimally invasive manner, detect the injuries, diseases and other morphological changes in human body, and provide the evidence to determine the cause and manner of death. Compared to traditional technologies, post-mortem forensic imaging methods are non-invasive, repeatable and are more conducive to resolving the key issues in several cases. It is being applied in few developed countries such as Switzerland, England, USA, Japan, etc. and is rapidly gaining importance. It can be used judiciously in estimating time since death, establishing identity of an individual, for age and sex determination, sudden death cases, road traffic accident cases, asphyxial deaths, death due to thermal injury, in Gunshot injuries, in decomposed bodies, in disaster scenarios, etc. However, it has still not been applied to the field of Forensic Medicine in India. This article emphasizes the utility of this method and focuses on its urgent need in India.

Keywords: Digital Autopsy; Image processing; Radiology; Cause of death.