Department of Forensic Medicine, University of Fukui School of Medical Sciences, Japan.
Department of Forensic Medicine, University of Fukui School of Medical Sciences, Japan.
Leg Med (Tokyo). 2024 Sep;70:102477. doi: 10.1016/j.legalmed.2024.102477. Epub 2024 Jun 24.
Ocular tension decreases with increasing postmortem interval (PMI) and eyes collapse with extreme progression of postmortem change; however, time-related changes in postmortem computed tomography (PMCT) findings have not been clarified. This study aimed to quantitatively evaluate the vitreous volume and CT values of the vitreous body to clarify time-related changes in PMCT.
We retrospectively reviewed PMCT images of the eyes of subjects who underwent autopsy at our institution between July 2023 and February 2024. They were classified into four PMI groups: PMI-1: < 1 day, PMI-2: 1-2 days, PMI-3: 3-6 days, PMI-4: ≥ 7 days. The vitreous volumes and mean CT values of the vitreous chambers were measured. Additionally, the presence of intraocular gas and crystalline lens dislocation was observed.
The PMCT images of 131 eyes of 66 patients (41 males, 25 females) were analyzed. The mean age was 63.7 (22-99) years. The volume of the vitreous cavity was significantly decreased at PMI-3 and PMI-4, which indicated scleral depression. Intraocular gas appeared in PMI-4. Lens dislocation began at PMI-3 and was more frequently observed at PMI-4 and in the higher-temperature environment group.
Ocular findings on PMCT are useful for estimating the time of death.
眼球张力随着死后间隔时间（PMI）的增加而降低，眼睛随着死后变化的极端进展而塌陷；然而，死后计算机断层扫描（PMCT）结果的时间相关变化尚未阐明。本研究旨在定量评估玻璃体体积和玻璃体的 CT 值，以阐明 PMCT 的时间相关变化。
我们回顾性地审查了 2023 年 7 月至 2024 年 2 月在我们机构进行尸检的受试者的 PMCT 眼部图像。他们被分为四个 PMI 组：PMI-1：<1 天，PMI-2：1-2 天，PMI-3：3-6 天，PMI-4：≥7 天。测量玻璃体腔的玻璃体体积和平均 CT 值。此外，观察了眼内气体和晶状体脱位的存在。
分析了 66 名患者（41 名男性，25 名女性）的 131 只眼的 PMCT 图像。平均年龄为 63.7（22-99）岁。玻璃体腔体积在 PMI-3 和 PMI-4 时显著减小，表明巩膜凹陷。眼内气体出现在 PMI-4。晶状体脱位始于 PMI-3，在 PMI-4 更频繁出现，且在高温环境组中更频繁出现。
PMCT 上的眼部发现可用于估计死亡时间。
