[Changes in kidney glomeruli in relation to the time of death].

The estimation of the time of death is until today a medico-legal problem only partially solved. We have studied, by scanning electron microscopy, post-mortem changes of human glomerula in anatomical structures (capillary endothelium) and in times of death (9-15 hrs) barely considered until now. We observed changes reported by other Authors (altered microvillus morphology, podocyte surface blebs, swelling and retraction of pedicles) as well as interesting changes of capillary endothelium which is still present, even if clearly altered 9 hrs post-mortem, whereas it is no more visible 15 hrs after the death.