ABSTRACT
Objective To study the relationship between the ultrastructural changes of corneal matrix collagen fibrils diameter and the postmortem interval.Methods Twenty-eight rabbits were killed by the method of air embolism and the samples of cornea were separately cut down in 0,6,12,18,24,48 and 72h after death.The ultrastructure of the collagen diameter was observed by transmission electro microscopy(TEM)and the 4 parameters of area(Y1),perimeter(Y2),average-diameter(Y3)and mean-diameter(Y4)were measured by a computer image technique and analyzed by Excel 2000 and SPSS 10.0 software.Results The 4 parameters of Y1,Y2,Y3 and Y4 were respectively increased from 1 131?53nm to 1 628?26nm,from 132.8?23nm to167.5nm,from 38nm to 45nm and from 37.71?6nm to 44.89?5nm within 72 hours after the death.Conclusion The corneal matrix collagen diameter increase regularly with the postmortem interval in 72h after death,and the parameters of Y1,Y2,Y3 and Y4 could be used as a new reference mark for timing the postmortem interval after death.