ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to assess the agreement between postmortem computed tomography (PMCT) and autopsy in detecting traumatic head injuries. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Consecutive cases of death that underwent both unenhanced PMCT and conventional autopsy were collected from our institution database during a period of 3 years and reviewed retrospectively. PMCT images were reviewed for the presence of fractures (cranial vault, skull base, facial bones and atlas/axis) and intracranial hemorrhage. Kappa values were calculated to determine the agreement between PMCT and autopsy reports. RESULTS: 73 cases were included, of which 44 (60%) had head trauma. Agreement between PMCT and autopsy was almost perfect (κ = 0.95) for fractures and substantial (κ = 0.75) for intracranial hemorrhage. PMCT was superior to autopsy in detecting facial bone and upper cervical spine fractures, and intraventricular hemorrhage. However, in some cases thin extra-axial blood collections were missed on PMCT. CONCLUSIONS: The agreement between PMCT and autopsy in detecting traumatic head injuries was good. Using a combination of both techniques increases the quality of postmortem evaluation because more lesions are detected.
Subject(s)
Autopsy , Brain Injuries, Traumatic/diagnosis , Craniocerebral Trauma/diagnosis , Tomography, X-Ray Computed , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Brain Injuries, Traumatic/pathology , Child , Child, Preschool , Craniocerebral Trauma/pathology , Female , Humans , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Male , Middle Aged , Neuroradiography , Young AdultABSTRACT
In winter, French Medicalised Ambulance Service rescued a 50-year-old patient after suicide attempts by jump from a bridge in the Seine. The body was discovered after more than 10 minutes of immersion. She was unconscious and in deep hypothermia with circulatory arrest. Basic CPR was started immediately and oral intubation and 100% oxygen ventilation was performed. Ventricular fibrillation appeared but repeated defibrillation failed due to profound hypothermia (rectal temperature: 28 degrees C). The patient was immediately transported to hospital. CPR and mechanical ventilation was continued during transport. The patient was taken in emergency room. The oesophageal temperature was 22 degrees C. Rewarming using extracorporeal circulation was immediately initiated after insertion of femoral access. At 27 degrees C, ventricular fibrillation started and was converted by external defibrillation to a pulse-generating cardiac rhythm. At 360 minutes, the patient's rectal temperature had reached 36 degrees C and she was disconnected from cardiopulmonary bypass with inotropic support. She was transferred to the intensive care unit after 9 hours of resuscitation, rewarming and stabilisation. Mechanical ventilation was needed for 15 days because of adult respiratory distress syndrome. Renal failure, pneumonia also occurred. She was successfully extubated on day 15 and was discharged from intensive care unit on day 21, suffering no neurological side effects.
