title: Comparison of attenuation of striated muscle between postmortem and antemortem computed tomography: results of a longitudinal study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We evaluated the postmortem changes of striated muscle by comparing computed tomography (CT) images obtained postmortem and antemortem in the same patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied 33 consecutive patients who underwent 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 and was followed by pathological autopsy. Pathological autopsy confirmed the absence of muscular diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, myositis, and myasthenia, in all of the patients. The CT attenuation values of four cardiac muscle sites (anterior wall of the left ventricle, left ventricular free wall, posterior wall of the left ventricle, and the ventricular septum) and two skeletal muscle sites (the pectoralis major muscle and the erector spinae muscle) were compared between antemortem and postmortem CT using paired t test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Striated muscle had significantly greater attenuation on postmortem CT than on antemortem CT (P<0.001) in all six tissue sites. No significant association was found between postmortem change in the CT attenuation of striated muscle and gender, age, or elapsed time since death.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is the first longitudinal study to show hyperattenuation of striated muscle on postmortem CT images compared with antemortem CT images in the same patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Hidemi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Okuma
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Wataru
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Gonoi
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Mutual Aid Association for Tokyo Metropolitan Teachers and Officials, Sanraku Hospital, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Masanori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ishida
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Go
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Shirota
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Yukako
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shintani
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Abe
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Masashi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fukayama
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Kuni
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ohtomo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001344:Autopsy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000473:pathology; D054792:Muscle, Striated / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology; D011180:Postmortem Changes; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D055815:Young Adult