Postmortem pulmonary edema: A comparison between immediate and delayed postmortem computed tomography
2011; Elsevier BV; Volume: 13; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1016/j.legalmed.2010.12.008
ISSN1873-4162
AutoresSeiji Shiotani, Tomoya Kobayashi, Hideyuki Hayakawa, Kazunori Kikuchi, Mototsugu Kohno,
Tópico(s)Forensic Entomology and Diptera Studies
ResumoPostmortem CT (PMCT) findings may change with the passage of time after death. The aim of this study was to investigate time-dependent PMCT findings of the lung in order to aid the interpretation of postmortem images obtained at various times. Our subjects were three non-traumatically deceased male subjects (25, 44, and 76 years old) who underwent whole body PMCT scan at two time points: one immediately after death and the other several hours after death but before the autopsy. The causes of death of the subjects were acute cardiac insufficiency (so-called sudden manhood death syndrome, 2 subjects), ischemic heart disease (acute coronary syndrome, 1 subject). The immediate and delayed PMCT findings of the lung were compared, and the differences between them were investigated. Compared with immediate PMCT, delayed PMCT showed advanced dependent opacity and consolidation corresponding to congestive pulmonary edema. PMCT images of the lung change as the time after death increases due to the natural postmortem changes of the corpse. Immediate PMCT is more suitable than delayed PMCT for discerning cause of death. Delayed PMCT reflects the autopsy findings more accurately than immediate PMCT.
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