Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Forensic Sci Med Pathol. 2021 Jun;17(2):185-191. doi: 10.1007/s12024-021-00356-2. Epub 2021 Feb 15.
Dead bodies exhibit a variable range of changes with advancing decomposition. To quantify intracorporeal gas, the radiological alteration index (RAI) has been implemented in the assessment of postmortem whole-body computed tomography. We used this RAI as a proxy for the state of decomposition. This study aimed to (I) investigate the correlation between the state of decomposition and the season in which the body was discovered; and (II) evaluate the correlations between sociodemographic factors (age, sex) and the state of decomposition, by using the RAI as a proxy for the extent of decomposition. In a retrospective study, we analyzed demographic data from all autopsy reports from the Institute of Forensic Medicine of Zurich between January 2017 to July 2019 and evaluated the radiological alteration index from postmortem whole-body computed tomography for each case. The bodies of older males showed the highest RAI. Seasonal effects had no significant influence on the RAI in our urban study population with bodies mostly being discovered indoors. Autopsy reports contain valuable data that allow interpretation for reasons beyond forensic purposes, such as sociopolitical observations.
尸体在分解过程中会呈现出一系列变化。为了量化体内气体，放射学改变指数（RAI）已被应用于死后全身计算机断层扫描的评估中。我们使用这个 RAI 来代表分解的状态。本研究旨在：（I）调查尸体发现时的季节与分解状态之间的相关性；（II）通过使用 RAI 作为分解程度的替代指标，评估社会人口因素（年龄、性别）与分解状态之间的相关性。在一项回顾性研究中，我们分析了苏黎世法医研究所 2017 年 1 月至 2019 年 7 月间所有尸检报告的人口统计学数据，并对每个案例的死后全身计算机断层扫描的放射学改变指数进行了评估。在我们的城市研究人群中，年龄较大的男性尸体的 RAI 最高。季节因素对我们的城市研究人群的 RAI 没有显著影响，因为这些尸体大多是在室内发现的。尸检报告包含有价值的数据，除了法医目的外，还可以进行社会学和政治学等方面的解释。
