title: Postmortem pulmonary edema: a comparison between immediate and delayed postmortem computed tomography.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Postmortem CT (PMCT) findings may change with the passage of time after death. The aim of this study was to investigate time-dependent PMCT findings of the lung in order to aid the interpretation of postmortem images obtained at various times.
  
  
  METHODS
  Our subjects were three non-traumatically deceased male subjects (25, 44, and 76 years old) who underwent whole body PMCT scan at two time points: one immediately after death and the other several hours after death but before the autopsy. The causes of death of the subjects were acute cardiac insufficiency (so-called sudden manhood death syndrome, 2 subjects), ischemic heart disease (acute coronary syndrome, 1 subject). The immediate and delayed PMCT findings of the lung were compared, and the differences between them were investigated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with immediate PMCT, delayed PMCT showed advanced dependent opacity and consolidation corresponding to congestive pulmonary edema.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PMCT images of the lung change as the time after death increases due to the natural postmortem changes of the corpse. Immediate PMCT is more suitable than delayed PMCT for discerning cause of death. Delayed PMCT reflects the autopsy findings more accurately than immediate PMCT.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Tsukuba Medical Center, 1-3-1 Amakubo, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8558, Japan. shiotani@tmch.or.jp
authors.forename: Seiji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shiotani
authors.forename: Tomoya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: Hideyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hayakawa
authors.forename: Kazunori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kikuchi
authors.forename: Mototsugu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kohno
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002423:Cause of Death; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011180:Postmortem Changes; D011654:Pulmonary Edema / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D011859:Radiography; D013997:Time Factors; D015898:Tomography Scanners, X-Ray Computed