What is "virtopsy"

n. A noninvasive autopsy performed through medical imaging technology.

Virtopsy is a virtual alternative to a traditional autopsy, conducted with scanning and imaging technology. The name is a portmanteau of 'virtual' and ' autopsy' and is a trademark registered to Prof. Richard Dirnhofer (de), the former head of the Institute of Forensic Medicine of the University of Bern, Switzerland.

The term “virtual” in this context apparently is meant in both the modern and original senses. Virtual's Latin root word “virtus” (virtue) implies the qualities of capability, efficiency, effectiveness and objectivity. However, some proponents propose to replace traditional autopsy with this approach. "Virtual" also has the sense of "digital".

Drihnhofer claimed that Virtopsy fully satisfies the requirement that medical forensic findings provide “a complete and true picture of the object examined”. Furthermore, Virtopsy also achieves the objective “that the pathologist’s report should ‘photograph’ with words so that the reader is able to follow his thoughts visually”.