title: [Calcium concentration in vitreous humor--a means for determining time of death?].
abstract: Several authors are in agreement that there is no relationship between calcium concentration in vitreous humor and time since death. Nowak and Balabanova (1989) however established such a relationship on a random sample of 19 cases suffering from heart disease (coronary occlusion) and quote Coe (1969, 1972) who "described also a correlation between PMI and calcium" which is completely wrong. The results of Nowak and Balabanova are compared to own results (n = 270, 69 deaths due to coronary artery disease), results of Sturner et al. (1972) and Schmidt (1988). In conclusion there is a statistically significant correlation between calcium concentration in vitreous humor and PMI (r = 0,356) but the range of scatter of the individual calcium values over the PMI is so great that it becomes clear that vitreous calcium is no aid in estimating the time since death.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Rechtsmedizin, Universität zu Köln.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Madea
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hermann
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Henssge
mesh_terms: D002118:Calcium / Q000032:analysis*; D003645:Death, Sudden / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000473:pathology; D011180:Postmortem Changes; D013997:Time Factors; D014822:Vitreous Body / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D002118:Calcium
vernacular_title: Kalziumkonzentration in Glaskörperflüssigkeit--Ein Mittel zur Todeszeitbestimmung?