title: Experimental drowning lung images on postmortem CT - Difference between sea water and fresh water.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Experimental drowning models were prepared to investigate the time-related course of lung changes using postmortem CT. This study was approved by our institutional animal ethics committee.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifteen NZW rabbits (female fifteen, 2.6-4.3 (mean 3.3)kg) were divided into 3 groups: fresh water drowning (FRESH), sea water drowning (SEA), and sea water drowning with anterior chest compression (ACC). All individuals were examined by CT (Aquilion CX, Toshiba, Japan) on postmortem time course. The rabbit's head was submerged in a water bath for a total of 10 min. In ACC, cardiopulmonary resuscitation was performed for 2 min, additionally. The percentage of aerated lung volumes (%ALV=100 (aerated lung volume/total lung volume)) were statistically evaluated and the lung CT image patterns and pleural fluid appearance time were investigated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All lungs had decreased their %ALV within 24h, and there were no statistical differences in and among the 3 groups. After 36 h, %ALV tended to increase in all groups, and only ACC presented a statistical difference between 1h and 36 h (p<0.005). On postmortem lung CT, all lungs presented ground-glass opacity with interstitial thickening spread pattern (100%) and no pattern change during the follow-up period. After presenting pleural space fluid collection, the %ALV tended to increase.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There were no differences among FRESH, SEA, and ACC in %ALV within 24h. Only ground-glass opacity could be detected on postmortem lung CT, experimentally.
authors.affiliation: Dept. Legal Medicine, Sapporo Medical University, School of Medicine, Japan. Electronic address: hyodoh@sapmed.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Hideki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hyodoh
authors.affiliation: Dept. Legal Medicine, Sapporo Medical University, School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: Ryuji
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Terashima
authors.affiliation: Dept. Legal Medicine, Sapporo Medical University, School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: Masumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rokukawa
authors.affiliation: Dept. Legal Medicine, Sapporo Medical University, School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: Junya
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.affiliation: Dept. Legal Medicine, Sapporo Medical University, School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: Shunichiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Okazaki
authors.affiliation: Dept. Legal Medicine, Sapporo Medical University, School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: Keisuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mizuo
authors.affiliation: Dept. Legal Medicine, Sapporo Medical University, School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Watanabe
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004332:Drowning; D049429:Forensic Pathology; D005618:Fresh Water; D008168:Lung / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D011180:Postmortem Changes; D011817:Rabbits; D012623:Seawater; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
keywords: Experimental drowning; Forensic radiology; Hypostasis; Postmortem CT; Postmortem change