Sarah Vander Plaetsen1, Els De Letter1, Michel Piette1, Geert Van Parys1, Jan W Casselman2, Koenraad Verstraete3. 1. Forensic Institute - Ghent University Department of Forensic Medicine Jozef Kluyskensstraat 29, 9000 Ghent, Belgium. 2. Department of Radiology, AZ Sint-Jan Brugge, Ruddershove 10, 8000 Bruges, Belgium; Department of Radiology, MR afdeling / -1K12, Ghent University Hospital, De Pintelaan 185, 9000 Ghent, Belgium. 3. Department of Radiology, MR afdeling / -1K12, Ghent University Hospital, De Pintelaan 185, 9000 Ghent, Belgium. Electronic address: koenraad.verstraete@ugent.be.
Abstract
PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to investigate the value of whole body computed tomography (WB-CT) in bodies recovered from water by analysis of the imaging findings after drowning. METHODS: The bodies of 41 drowning victims and 9 persons who died from mechanical asphyxia by hanging underwent post-mortem whole body computed tomography. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Excessive fluid in the paranasal sinuses (98%), nasal pharynx (98%), oropharynx (95%), trachea (83%), ground glass opacities in the lung (89%), pleural fluid (71%), pericardial fluid (59%), esophageal fluid (81%), stomach fluid and distension (71%), duodenal (34%) and jejunal distension (31%) were the most frequent drowning related imaging findings which significantly differed from the group of mechanical asphyxia by hanging. In cases of fresh water drowning hemodilution was present in 79%. New and up to now unpublished findings were lower density in the spleen, indicative for hemodilution and detection of a pronounced amount of pericardial fluid, only seen in drowning victims.
PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to investigate the value of whole body computed tomography (WB-CT) in bodies recovered from water by analysis of the imaging findings after drowning. METHODS: The bodies of 41 drowning victims and 9 persons who died from mechanical asphyxia by hanging underwent post-mortem whole body computed tomography. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Excessive fluid in the paranasal sinuses (98%), nasal pharynx (98%), oropharynx (95%), trachea (83%), ground glass opacities in the lung (89%), pleural fluid (71%), pericardial fluid (59%), esophageal fluid (81%), stomach fluid and distension (71%), duodenal (34%) and jejunal distension (31%) were the most frequent drowning related imaging findings which significantly differed from the group of mechanical asphyxia by hanging. In cases of fresh water drowning hemodilution was present in 79%. New and up to now unpublished findings were lower density in the spleen, indicative for hemodilution and detection of a pronounced amount of pericardial fluid, only seen in drowning victims.
Authors: Guy N Rutty; Christopher Johnson; Jasmin Amoroso; Claire Robinson; Carina J Bradley; Bruno Morgan Journal: Int J Legal Med Date: 2016-11-05 Impact factor: 2.686