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Postmortem quantitative 1.5-T MRI for the differentiation and characterization of serous fluids, blood, CSF, and putrefied CSF

Zech, Wolf-Dieter ; Schwendener, Nicole ; Persson, Anders ; Warntjes, Marcel ; Riva, Fabiano ; Schuster, Frederick ; Jackowski, Christian

In: International Journal of Legal Medicine, 2015, vol. 129, no. 5, p. 1127-1136

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    Titre
    • Postmortem quantitative 1.5-T MRI for the differentiation and characterization of serous fluids, blood, CSF, and putrefied CSF
    Auteur
    • Zech, Wolf-Dieter. Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Bern, Bühlstrasse 20, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
    • Schwendener, Nicole. Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Bern, Bühlstrasse 20, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
    • Persson, Anders. Center for Medical Image Science and Visualization (CMIV), Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
    • Warntjes, Marcel. Center for Medical Image Science and Visualization (CMIV), Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
    • Riva, Fabiano. Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Bern, Bühlstrasse 20, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
    • Schuster, Frederick. Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Bern, Bühlstrasse 20, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
    • Jackowski, Christian. Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Bern, Bühlstrasse 20, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
    Type de document
    • Postprint
    Langue
    • Anglais
    Publié dans
    • International Journal of Legal Medicine, 2015, vol. 129, no. 5, p. 1127-1136. Springer Berlin Heidelberg
    Autre version électronique
    Identifiant OAI-PMH
    • oai:doc.rero.ch:331411
    Summary
    The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether serous fluids, blood, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and putrefied CSF can be characterized and differentiated in synthetically calculated magnetic resonance (MR) images based on their quantitative T 1, T 2, and proton density (PD) values. Images from 55 postmortem short axis cardiac and 31 axial brain 1.5-T MR examinations were quantified using a quantification sequence. Serous fluids, fluid blood, sedimented blood, blood clots, CSF, and putrefied CSF were analyzed for their mean T 1, T 2, and PD values. Body core temperature was measured during the MRI scans. The fluid-specific quantitative values were related to the body core temperature. Equations to correct for temperature differences were generated. In a 3D plot as well as in statistical analysis, the quantitative T 1, T 2 and PD values of serous fluids, fluid blood, sedimented blood, blood clots, CSF, and putrefied CSF could be well differentiated from each other. The quantitative T 1 and T 2 values were temperature-dependent. Correction of quantitative values to a temperature of 37°C resulted in significantly better discrimination between all investigated fluid mediums. We conclude that postmortem 1.5-T MR quantification is feasible to discriminate between blood, serous fluids, CSF, and putrefied CSF. This finding provides a basis for the computer-aided diagnosis and detection of fluids and hemorrhages.