MRI scans could replace post-mortems

A CHARITY is calling for bereaved families to be offered MRI scans as an alternative to "invasive" post-mortems when an inquiry is need to establish how someone died.

By The Newsroom

Published 16th Sep 2010, 00:11 BST

Updated 16th Sep 2010, 00:12 BST

Post-mortem examinations, which involve surgery to study organs and body fluids, are carried out on behalf of a coroner when an inquest is ordered to investigate an unexplained or unexpected death.

The Saad Foundation said the procedure can be distressing and offensive to bereaved families, and an MRI post-mortem scan should be offered first.

Its patron Baroness Warsi, the Dewsbury Conservative peer, said: "The Saad Foundation is about giving people a choice – this is a community issue."

The technique was first used by the Jewish community in Manchester and is now available in other areas.

The charity aims to establish a similar capability in Dewsbury.

Manchester Dewsbury