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Postmortem computed tomography findings as evidence of traffic accident-related fatal injury

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Abstract

Purpose

Most traumatic deaths in Japan are due to nonpenetrating injuries, especially those that result from traffic accidents; however, the autopsy rate of traffic accident-related deaths is only about 5%. We investigated the diagnostic ability of postmortem computed tomography (PMCT) in cases of fatal trauma after traffic accidents.

Materials and methods

Our subjects were 78 subjects (59 males, 19 females; mean age 50 years, range 15–87 years) who were brought to our institution in cardiopulmonary arrest on arrival after traffic accidents and died despite resuscitation attempts. PMCT findings of damage to the head, neck, thorax, abdomen, and pelvis were classified into three grades according to the Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) severity: A: 1 (minor), 2 (moderate); B: 3 (serious), 4 (severe), 5 (critical); C: 6 (maximum).

Results

The percentage ratio of A/B/C in 78 head injuries was 32/60/8, in 41 neck injuries 83/5/12, in 76 thorax injuries 5/38/57, in 76 abdominal injuries 70/24/7, and in 76 pelvic injuries 79/21/0, respectively.

Conclusion

PMCT can detect or presume fatal trauma when diagnosing the cause of death after traffic accidents

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Tsukuba Medical Center, 1-3-1 Amakubo, Tsukuba, 305-8558, Japan

    Seiji Shiotani & Masanari Shiigai

  2. Department of Critical Care and Emergency Medicine, Tsukuba Medical Center, Tsukuba, Japan

    Yukihiro Ueno, Namiko Sakamoto, Shigeru Atake & Mototsugu Kohno

  3. Department of General Internal Medicine, Tsukuba Medical Center, Tsukuba, Japan

    Masatsune Suzuki

  4. Department of Neurosurgery, Tsukuba Medical Center, Tsukuba, Japan

    Hiroshi Kimura

  5. Department of Pathology, Tsukuba Medical Center, Tsukuba, Japan

    Kazunori Kikuchi

  6. Department of Forensic Medicine, Tsukuba Medical Examiner’s Office, Tsukuba, Japan

    Hideyuki Hayakawa

Authors
  1. Seiji Shiotani
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  2. Masanari Shiigai
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  3. Yukihiro Ueno
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  4. Namiko Sakamoto
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  5. Shigeru Atake
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  6. Mototsugu Kohno
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  7. Masatsune Suzuki
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  8. Hiroshi Kimura
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  9. Kazunori Kikuchi
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  10. Hideyuki Hayakawa
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Seiji Shiotani.

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Shiotani, S., Shiigai, M., Ueno, Y. et al. Postmortem computed tomography findings as evidence of traffic accident-related fatal injury. Radiat Med 26, 253–260 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11604-007-0223-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11604-007-0223-6

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