ABSTRACT
Computed tomography (CT) is widely used in postmortem investigations as an adjunct to the traditional autopsy in forensic medicine. To date, several studies have described postmortem CT findings as being caused by normal postmortem changes. However, on interpretation, postmortem CT findings that are seemingly due to normal postmortem changes initially, may not have been mere postmortem artifacts. In this pictorial essay, we describe the common postmortem CT findings in cases of atraumatic in-hospital death and describe the diagnostic pitfalls of normal postmortem changes that can mimic real pathologic lesions.
Subject(s)
Adult , Aged , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Autopsy/instrumentation , Brain/pathology , Forensic Medicine/instrumentation , Gastrointestinal Tract/pathology , Heart/diagnostic imaging , Lung/pathology , Myocardium/pathology , Postmortem Changes , Tomography, X-Ray Computed/methodsABSTRACT
Accidental tolls during bathig in Japanese subjects were analyzed in collaboration with Japanese Association for Acute Medicine. We sent out questionnaires to 212 medical emergency centers all over Japan to know the number of ambulance runs, outcomes of the patients, if they performed autopsy or postmortem imaging. Total number of victims was 782. More number of accidents occurred in elderly people and in winter season. Autopsies or postmortem imaging was rarely performed. To know the underlying causes of accidental death relating with bathing, autopsy and/or postmortem imaging should be done on more cases.
ABSTRACT
Accidental tolls during bathig in Japanese subjects were analyzed in collaboration with Japanese Association for Acute Medicine. We sent out questionnaires to 212 medical emergency centers all over Japan to know the number of ambulance runs, outcomes of the patients, if they performed autopsy or postmortem imaging. Total number of victims was 782. More number of accidents occurred in elderly people and in winter season. Autopsies or postmortem imaging was rarely performed. To know the underlying causes of accidental death relating with bathing, autopsy and/or postmortem imaging should be done on more cases.