title: Spectrometric evaluation of post-mortem optical skin changes.
abstract: As to their optical properties, the components of human skin can be divided into two different categories: the light-scattering components shown as peaks and those absorbing light appearing as dips in the reflectance spectrum. As the post-mortem interval progresses, the concentration of scatterers and absorbers and thus the reflectance spectra change due to post-mortem tissue breakdown and degradation. Based on a total number of 532 reflectance spectrometric measurements in 195 deceased, a characteristic change in the reflectance spectra could be documented in the post-mortem course. Subsequently, an algorithm to calculate the post-mortem interval was developed by analysing the reflectance spectrometric extrema.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Legal Medicine, Julius-Maximilian University, Versbacher Strasse 3, 97078, Würzburg, Germany, vera.sterzik@uni-wuerzburg.de.
authors.forename: Vera
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sterzik
authors.forename: Lioudmila
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Belenkaia
authors.forename: Andreas W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Liehr
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bohnert
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000465:Algorithms; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011180:Postmortem Changes; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology*; D012881:Skin Temperature; D013053:Spectrophotometry / Q000379:methods*; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult