Progressive gas formation in a deceased person during mortuary storage demonstrated on computed tomography

Mansharan K Singh, Chris O'Donnell, Noel Woodford

Research output: Contribution to journalLetterOther

32 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

1. Putrefactive gas can be detected in the liver and heart on postmortem CT in the absence of external evidence of putrefaction. 2. Putrefactive gas formation can progress despite the deceased being stored in a mortuary refrigerator. 3. Temperatures within a conventional mortuary refrigerator vary significantly depending on the position within the refrigerator and days of the week. 4. CT scanning of the deceased should be performed as soon as possible after death in order to avoid putrefactice gas artifact.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)236 - 242
Number of pages7
JournalForensic Science, Medicine and Pathology
Volume5
Issue number3
Publication statusPublished - 2009

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