© Pierre Jans
Luxembourg's National Health Laboratory (LNS) in Dudelange has inaugurated a CT scanner, formerly used during the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing forensic pathologists to conduct detailed post-mortem scans on site.
The machine was previously used during the COVID-19 pandemic at the Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg (CHL). As Dr Guy Berchem, Chair of the National Health Laboratory (LNS) Board and Medical Director at CHL, explained, it proved vital at the time but had since fallen out of use. Transferring the scanner to the LNS therefore made perfect sense, allowing it to serve a new purpose in forensic medicine, he said.
The scanner was originally provided to the CHL by the High Commission for National Protection (HCPN) during the pandemic. It has been operational at the LNS since May, though its formal inauguration was delayed due to ministerial schedules.
Until now, bodies had to be transported between the laboratory and a hospital for scanning, a process that was logistically demanding and distressing for the families concerned. According to Dr Thorsten Schwark, head of the Department of Forensic Medicine at the LNS, the new equipment allows his team to examine every deceased person on site before an autopsy. He said that the scans make it possible to plan autopsies more effectively, obtain complete documentation of the deceased, detect foreign objects or gases in the body, and better understand the circumstances surrounding a death.
While the post-mortem CT scan does not replace an autopsy, it provides crucial complementary information and, as Schwark noted, strengthens the overall reliability of judicial investigations. He added that the scanner can produce particularly high-quality images, since radiation exposure is no longer a concern for deceased individuals, allowing the team to use the machine's full imaging capacity for maximum precision.
Justice Minister Elisabeth Margue emphasised that forensic medicine today goes far beyond the classic image of autopsies seen in films. She explained that techniques such as CT imaging can reveal internal injuries and help ensure that analyses are both comprehensive and swift. Having all steps carried out at one location, she said, greatly improves efficiency and safeguards the integrity of investigations. Margue also underlined that forensic analysis serves multiple purposes: from clarifying causes of death and preventing future offences to providing closure for families and even exonerating suspects through objective evidence.
Each year, Luxembourg conducts between 115 and 140 autopsies, and around 130 bodies have already been scanned at the LNS in 2025, slightly more than in previous years.
