Abstract
DWI and DTI of the brain have proved to be useful in many neurologic disorders and in traumatic brain injury. This prospective study aimed at the evaluation of the influence of the PMI and the cause of death on the ADC and FA for the application of DWI and DTI in forensic radiology. DWI and DTI of the brain were performed in situ in 20 deceased subjects with mapping of the ADC and FA. Evaluation was performed in different ROIs, and the influence of PMI and cause of death was assessed. Postmortem ADC values of the brain were decreased by 49%-72% compared with healthy living controls. With increasing PMI, ADCs were significantly reduced when considering all ROIs together and, particularly, GM regions (all regions, P < .05; GM, P < .01), whereas there was no significant effect in WM. Concerning the cause of death, ADCs were significantly lower in mechanical and hypoxic brain injury than in brains from subjects having died from heart failure (traumatic brain injury, P < .005; hypoxia, P < .001). Postmortem FA was not significantly different from FA in living persons and showed no significant influence of PMI or cause of death. Performing postmortem DWI and DTI of the brain in situ can provide valuable information for application in forensic medicine. ADC could be used as an indicator of PMI and could help in the assessment of the cause of death.
Highlights
AND PURPOSE: DWI and DTI of the brain have proved to be useful in many neurologic disorders and in traumatic brain injury
Concerning the cause of death, ADCs were significantly lower in mechanical and hypoxic brain injury than in brains from subjects having died from heart failure
ABBREVIATIONS: ADC ϭ apparent diffusion coefficient; ADCTc ϭ temperature corrected apparent diffusion coefficient; CC ϭ corpus callosum; DWI ϭ diffusion-weighted imaging, DTI ϭ diffusion tensor imaging; FA ϭ fractional anisotropy; FSE ϭ fast spin-echo; GM ϭ gray matter, HF ϭ cardiac failure; MRI ϭ MR imaging; n.a. ϭ measurements not performed; PMI ϭ postmortem interval; ROI ϭ region of interest; SEM ϭ standard error of the mean; STIR ϭ short tau inversion recovery; STR ϭ strangulation; Tapp ϭapproximate body core temperature at the time of MR imaging; TBI ϭ traumatic brain injury; WM ϭ white matter In DWI, signal intensity strongly depends on the rate of water diffusion, which can be used quantitatively to determine ADC.[1]
Summary
DWI and DTI of the brain were performed in situ in 20 deceased subjects with mapping of the ADC and FA. Evaluation was performed in different ROIs, and the influence of PMI and cause of death was assessed. Central respiratory arrest due to brain trauma Heart failure Central respiratory arrest due to brain trauma Heart failure Heart failure due to gas embolism Organ failure due to hypothermia Suffocation Heart failure due to pneumothorax and fat embolism Suffocation Heart & lung failure due to blood aspiration and pneumothorax Central respiratory arrest Suffocation Central respiratory arrest due to suffocation (laryngitis) Central respiratory arrest and hypothermia (combined) Heart failure Suffocation Heart failure Suffocation Heart failure due to arterial air embolism Central respiratory insufficience due to brain stem lesion a In cases with combined or concurring causes of death only the most relevant are mentioned. Central respiratory arrest due to brain trauma Heart failure Central respiratory arrest due to brain trauma Heart failure Heart failure due to gas embolism Organ failure due to hypothermia Suffocation Heart failure due to pneumothorax and fat embolism Suffocation Heart & lung failure due to blood aspiration and pneumothorax Central respiratory arrest Suffocation Central respiratory arrest due to suffocation (laryngitis) Central respiratory arrest and hypothermia (combined) Heart failure Suffocation Heart failure Suffocation Heart failure due to arterial air embolism Central respiratory insufficience due to brain stem lesion a In cases with combined or concurring causes of death only the most relevant are mentioned. b Approximate body core temperature at the time of MR imaging
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
