Autopsies are important, not only for identifying the cause of death and related pathology, but also for healthcare quality control, vital statistics and education. The steady decline of autopsy rates worldwide is worrying. (1,2) A possible explanation may be the invasive nature of the procedure. (3) Non-invasive or minimally invasive autopsy (MIA) procedures have been developed as alternatives to the invasive autopsy, and may be more acceptable to the next-of-kin. (4) As an advantage over the autopsy, the MIA provides a permanent integrated record of imaging and histology that can be revisited for reinterpretation of the post-mortem findings. In addition it is a valuable source for research and teaching purposes. (5) 

In the forensic setting, non- or minimally invasive autopsies are mainly used as an adjunct to, rather than a replacement of invasive autopsy. (6,7) Extensive research on the value of post-mortem perinatal imaging as alternative to the non-forensic autopsy has been done, and efforts are made to facilitate the transfer of high-quality evidence from research into clinical practice. (8) Likewise, the potential of MIA in hospitalized adult patients is now under investigation. (9-11)