Digital pathology and AI in forensic medicine: advances, limitations, and medico-legal utility

Abstract

Digital pathology (DP) is revolutionizing forensic histopathology through enhanced accuracy, efficiency, and accessibility in post-mortem evaluation. Traditional histopathological evaluations are founded on physical slides and light microscopy, which are time-consuming, susceptible to human error, and limited in remote collaboration. DP, which combines whole-slide imaging (WSI), artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and virtual autopsy methods, delivers high-resolution imaging, quantitative evaluation, and telepathology functionalities that significantly improve forensic evaluation. WSI enables pathologists to digitize, store, and share histopathological slides, thus facilitating expert consultation and retrospective evaluation. AI and ML enhance forensic diagnosis by automating tissue classification, identifying pathological features, and optimizing wound age estimation. Virtual autopsy and 3D imaging utilize non-invasive methods like computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to assess injuries, fractures, and internal pathology, thus supplementing traditional autopsy methods. Telepathology facilitates global collaboration, ensuring that expertise is readily available in areas with limited resources, and enhances forensic education through digital repositories of challenging cases. DP holds major applications in forensic medicine, including cause-of-death determination, identification of patterns of injury, and toxicology-related investigations. AI-based histopathological evaluations enhance the objectivity and standardization of forensic diagnoses, providing more reliable evidence to support legal proceedings. Challenges notwithstanding, DP presents multiple benefits, including overcoming economic restrictions, addressing technical limitations, and mitigating uncertainties in the admissibility of digital forensic evidence in judicial hearings. This review accentuates DP’s technological progress, applications, and limitations in forensic pathology. By integrating DP into forensic protocols, medico-legal evaluations can achieve greater precision, reproducibility, and efficiency, ultimately enhancing forensic investigations and legal proceedings.

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