Common Postmortem Computed Tomography Findings Following Atraumatic Death: Differentiation between Normal Postmortem Changes and Pathologic Lesions

• Published in: Korean journal of radiology Vol. 16; no. 4; pp. 798 - 809
• Main Authors: Ishida, Masanori, Gonoi, Wataru, Okuma, Hidemi, Shirota, Go, Shintani, Yukako, Abe, Hiroyuki, Takazawa, Yutaka, Fukayama, Masashi, Ohtomo, Kuni
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Korea (South) The Korean Society of Radiology 01-07-2015; 대한영상의학회
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Aortic dissection; Autopsies; Autopsy - instrumentation; Autopsy - methods; Blood clots; Brain - diagnostic imaging; Brain - pathology; Cadavers; Coronary vessels; Experimental and Others; Female; Forensic Medicine - instrumentation; Forensic Medicine - methods; Gastrointestinal Tract - diagnostic imaging; Gastrointestinal Tract - pathology; Heart - diagnostic imaging; Hemorrhage; Humans; Lung - diagnostic imaging; Lung - pathology; Male; Medical imaging; Middle Aged; Myocardium - pathology; Postmortem Changes; Pulmonary arteries; Thrombosis; Tomography; Tomography, X-Ray Computed - methods; Veins & arteries; 방사선과학; Forensic radiology; Postmortem imaging; Postmortem CT; Autopsy imaging
• ISSN: 1229-6929; 2005-8330
• DOI: 10.3348/kjr.2015.16.4.798

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.