Evaluation of eosin-fluorescence in the diagnosis of sudden cardiac death.
The diagnostic significance of the eosin-fluorescence method was evaluated and compared with the enzymehistochemical beta-hydroxybutyrate-dehydrogenase method (beta-HBDH) and the degree of hyperchromasia in 568 samples from 24 bets-HBDH-negative and beta-HBDH-positive sudden cardiac deaths (SCD) and 23 non-cardiac deaths as controls. The effect of autolysis was investigated separately on isolated human hearts at +4 degrees C and +22 degrees C. All samples were examined without any knowledge of clinical or autopsy data. Normal olive-green fluorescence was observed in only five individuals of the control group and two in the beta-HBDH-negative one. The frequency of the yellow-fluorescence and hyperchromasia increased from the control subjects towards the beta-HBDH-positive-ones. The difference in frequency distribution of fluorescence between the groups was statistically highly significant (P less than 0.001). The change in fluorescence did not correlate with the loss of beta-HBDH-reaction or the distribution pattern of hyperchromasia. Postmortem autolysis did not change the fluorescence significantly but the 78% wrong positive subjects in the control group render this method too sensitive and unreliable for medicolegal purposes.
Saukko
P
P
Department of Forensic Medicine, University of Oulu, Finland.
Knight
B
B
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000175:diagnosis; D003645:Death, Sudden / Q000175:diagnosis*; D004801:Eosine Yellowish-(YS); D005260:Female; D005453:Fluorescence; D006801:Humans; D006884:Hydroxybutyrate Dehydrogenase / Q000032:analysis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009206:Myocardium / Q000201:enzymology; D013194:Staining and Labeling
D006884:Hydroxybutyrate Dehydrogenase; D004801:Eosine Yellowish-(YS)