The effect on cadaver blood DNA identification by the use of targeted and whole body post-mortem computed tomography angiography

• DOI: 10.1007/s12024-013-9467-x
• Publication Date: 2013-07-05T06:26:59Z
• Authors: Guy N. Rutty; Jade Barber; Jasmin Amoroso; Bruno Morgan; Eleanor A. M. Graham
• Keywords: Angiography; Contrast Media; Reproducibility of Results; DNA; DNA Fingerprinting; Injections; 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine; Predictive Value of Tests; Cadaver; Humans; Whole Body Imaging; Autopsy; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Diatrizoate Meglumine

Post-mortem computed tomography angiography (PMCTA) involves the injection of contrast agents. This could have both a dilution effect on biological fluid samples and could affect subsequent post-contrast analytical laboratory processes. We undertook a small sample study of 10 targeted and 10 whole body PMCTA cases to consider whether or not these two methods of PMCTA could affect post-PMCTA cadaver blood based DNA identification. We used standard methodology to examine DNA from blood samples obtained before and after the PMCTA procedure. We illustrate that neither of these PMCTA methods had an effect on the alleles called following short tandem repeat based DNA profiling, and therefore the ability to undertake post-PMCTA blood based DNA identification.