[Topography of posttraumatic fat embolism. Histological and statistical investigation of Gough-sections of the lung (author's transl)].

In 50 fat-stained and foil-mounted Gough-sections of entire lungs in accidental death cases the topographic areas of fat-embolic blood vessel occlusions were estimated. For control, the same investigations were made in cases of nontraumatic death. Accumulation of fat-embolism was found in the arterior thirds of the upper and middle areas of the lung, while in the basal, the central, and the posterior parts the incidence of fat-embolic occlusions is significantly rarer. Similar results, although to a lesser degree, were found in the lungs of non-traumatized patients. A statistical study evaluated whether right or left lobe, sex, age, or time of survival after trauma influence the incidence and intensity of fat-embolic occlusions in the lung. The results were discussed.