[Neuropathological diagnosis of senile dementia of Alzheimer's type in forensic autopsy cases].

Senile dementia of Alzheimer's type is frequently an underlying cause of accidental death of elderly persons. Neuropathological diagnosis of dementia is therefore crucial to assess the contribution of dementia to the cause of accident. The authors applied two conventional neuropathological criteria described by Khachaturian and Mirra, et al. to three forensic autopsy cases of dementia-related accidental death. In all cases, the number of neocortical senile plaque, a hallmark of dementia, could not fulfill both criteria. This result indicates that foregoing neuropathological criteria derived from fully developed dementia are hardly applicable to elderly persons who died in an early stage of dementia in forensic settings. Further investigation will be required to establish a diagnostic criterion of early stage of dementia.