Charred, badly decomposed, or mummified corpses, as well as those restrictions forced upon coroners by certain religious sects, often make autopsies impossible to perform. In addition, lack of manpower among the personnel charged with performing autopsies frequently creates a backlog of cases in the coroner's office. This delay increases the likelihood that causes of death will go undetermined and criminal perpetrators will go unpunished. The solution can be found in what has come to be known as the virtopsy (R), a minimally invasive and efficient way to perform an autopsy through state-of-the-art imaging-guided means.

A term coined by noted forensic pathologist Richard Dirnhofer, virtopsy refers to "virtual autopsy," a modality that employs a spectrum of technologies including computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy, and 3D photogrammetry and surface scanning. In The Virtopsy Approach: 3D Optical and Radiological Scanning and Reconstruction in Forensic Medicine, the authors reveal a comprehensive summary of the virtopsy procedure. Well-organized, detailed enough to serve as a how-to guide for newcomers to the field, and copiously illustrated with many color figures accompanied by appropriate explanatory captions, this volume breaks new ground in the world of autopsy science.