Citation

Plaetsen SV, De Letter E, Piette M, Van Parys G, Casselman JW, Verstraete K. Forensic Sci. Int. 2015; 249C: 35-41.

Affiliation

Department of Radiology, MR afdeling / -1K12, Ghent University Hospital, De Pintelaan 185, 9000 Ghent, Belgium. Electronic address: koenraad.verstraete@ugent.be.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.forsciint.2015.01.008

PMID

25656400

Abstract

PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to investigate the value of whole body computed tomography (WB-CT) in bodies recovered from water by analysis of the imaging findings after drowning.

METHODS: The bodies of 41 drowning victims and 9 persons who died from mechanical asphyxia by hanging underwent post-mortem whole body computed tomography.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Excessive fluid in the paranasal sinuses (98%), nasal pharynx (98%), oropharynx (95%), trachea (83%), ground glass opacities in the lung (89%), pleural fluid (71%), pericardial fluid (59%), esophageal fluid (81%), stomach fluid and distension (71%), duodenal (34%) and jejunal distension (31%) were the most frequent drowning related imaging findings which significantly differed from the group of mechanical asphyxia by hanging. In cases of fresh water drowning hemodilution was present in 79%. New and up to now unpublished findings were lower density in the spleen, indicative for hemodilution and detection of a pronounced amount of pericardial fluid, only seen in drowning victims.

Language: en