Postmortem temporal chest CT and its pathological correlation in piglets

Post-mortem computed tomography (PMCT) is a useful tool to investigate the cause of death. To appropriately use PMCT for cause-of-death analysis, it is necessary to know natural courses after death such as hypostasis in the lungs. We aimed to investigate the natural time-course change of postmortem chest CT findings and its pathological correlation in piglets. Serial chest PMCT scans of four piglets were performed each hour for 24 h and the chronological changes of the lung were evaluated. Immediately after the final CT scan, the autopsy was conducted and bilateral lungs were taken for pathological examination. Two additional piglets were sacrificed and pathological specimens were prepared immediately after death for reference. On pulmonary PMCT, ground glass attenuation (GGA) appeared after the first several hours and increased gradually. Histologically, GGA corresponded to pulmonary edema. The time-related increase in CT attenuation was more prominent in the dorsal lung. Consolidation, endotracheal air defects, and pleural effusion were not observed on PMCT. GGA appeared after the first several hours and increased gradually, and it corresponded to pulmonary edema. GGA in the lung as one of the natural postmortem processes needs to be distinguished from pathogenic findings depending on the time elapsed since death. J. Med. Invest. 71 : 232-236, August, 2024.