title: Greater thickness of the aortic wall on postmortem computed tomography compared with antemortem computed tomography: the first longitudinal study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate postmortem changes of the aorta on postmortem computed tomography (CT) in comparison with those on antemortem CT obtained in the same patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied 57 consecutive patients who had undergone antemortem CT, postmortem CT, and pathological autopsy in our tertiary care hospital between April 2009 and December 2010. Postmortem CT was performed within 20 h after death, followed by pathological autopsy. Pathological autopsy confirmed the absence of cardiovascular disease such as aortic aneurysm, aortic dissection, or Marfan syndrome in all patients. Aortic wall thickness and aortic cross-sectional areas were measured on both antemortem CT and postmortem CT. Difference in aortic wall thickness between antemortem CT with and without contrast medium, and between antemortem CT and postmortem CT, and in cross-sectional area of the aortic wall between antemortem CT and postmortem CT was evaluated statistically.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No significant difference in aortic wall thickness was observed on antemortem CT in comparison of contrasted and non-contrasted images. The aortic wall was significantly thicker on postmortem CT than on antemortem CT (p < 0.0001). No significant difference in cross-sectional area of the aortic wall was observed between antemortem CT and postmortem CT measurements.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is the first longitudinal study to confirm greater thickness of the aortic wall on postmortem images compared with antemortem images in the same patients and to show no change in cross-sectional area of the aortic wall between before and after death.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8655, Japan, hokuma-tky@umin.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Hidemi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Okuma
authors.forename: Wataru
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Gonoi
authors.forename: Masanori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ishida
authors.forename: Yukako
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shintani
authors.forename: Yutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takazawa
authors.forename: Masashi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fukayama
authors.forename: Kuni
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ohtomo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D003287:Contrast Media; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D061330:Multidetector Computed Tomography; D011180:Postmortem Changes; D036542:Tomography, Spiral Computed; D014683:Vena Cava, Superior / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media