Comparison of Clinical and Radiological Diagnosis with Autopsy Findings in Fatal Traffic Accident Cases

This study investigated the alignment between clinical and radiological assessments and autopsy findings in fatal road traffic accidents (RTAs), focusing on the identification of missed injuries and diagnostic discrepancies. Conducted at a tertiary care centre in India, this study examined 146 cases of RTA fatalities over a two-year period. Clinicoradiological diagnoses were compared with autopsy findings across various injury types, including head, thoracic, abdominal, and limb injuries. Autopsy findings revealed a higher incidence of certain injuries, such as cervical spine injuries, cerebral contusions, and small haemorrhages, which were often missed during the initial clinical and radiological evaluations. Injury agreement was statistically evaluated using kappa statistics, revealing a moderate to slight correlation in most cases, with specific areas of notable discordance. In 21.9% of the cases, the cause of death determined clinically differed from autopsy findings, underscoring the critical role of autopsy in refining trauma assessment protocols and improving diagnostic accuracy. These findings highlight the value of autopsy feedback for emergency trauma care and suggest a need for advanced diagnostic techniques to reduce missed injuries in polytrauma cases.