<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><bold>Introduction</bold>. In forensic pathology the autolytic process has been observed and documented in order to determine the postmortem interval as accurately as possible. The observation and experiments have been carried out on cadavers exposed to environmental conditions – heat, humidity, air currents, soil, water.<bold>Methods</bold>. For this study hematoxylin and eosin (HE) stained sections of organ samples from 30 autopsied bodies were examined under the microscope. Modifications of tissue and cell structures were noted in correlation with the bodies’ time spent in the Morgue’s mortuary refrigerator until the autopsy was performed, which varied between 24 hours and 22 days.<bold>Results</bold>. All the organs sampled (lung, heart, liver and pancreas) showed severe autolytic alterations after 5 to 8 days. The most heavily affected was the pancreas, cells within Langherhans islets becoming complete autolyzed at the 36 hours mark. Inside organs, autolytic processes occur at different rates depending on the locations within that organ –deeply or superficial; in the heart after 4 or more days subendocardic myocardium shows less severe autolytic changes than the subepicardial one.<bold>Conclusion</bold>. Autolytic processes have a delayed onset and a much lower progression rate in a cold controlled environment. Different organs suffer different rates of autolysis in correlation to their structure and enzymatic content.</abstract>

Introduction. In forensic pathology the autolytic process has been observed and documented in order to determine the postmortem interval as accurately as possible. The observation and experiments have been carried out on cadavers exposed to environmental conditions – heat, humidity, air currents, soil, water.Methods. For this study hematoxylin and eosin (HE) stained sections of organ samples from 30 autopsied bodies were examined under the microscope. Modifications of tissue and cell structures were noted in correlation with the bodies’ time spent in the Morgue’s mortuary refrigerator until the autopsy was performed, which varied between 24 hours and 22 days.Results. All the organs sampled (lung, heart, liver and pancreas) showed severe autolytic alterations after 5 to 8 days. The most heavily affected was the pancreas, cells within Langherhans islets becoming complete autolyzed at the 36 hours mark. Inside organs, autolytic processes occur at different rates depending on the locations within that organ –deeply or superficial; in the heart after 4 or more days subendocardic myocardium shows less severe autolytic changes than the subepicardial one.Conclusion. Autolytic processes have a delayed onset and a much lower progression rate in a cold controlled environment. Different organs suffer different rates of autolysis in correlation to their structure and enzymatic content.

Correlations Between the Autolytic Changes and Postmortem Interval in Refrigerated Cadavers

County Forensic Pathology Department Giurgiu, 5-7Alexandriei 5-7 Bvd, Giurgiu, Romania

Pathology Department of “Colentina” Clinical Hospital, 19-21 Ştefan cel Mare Bvd, Bucharest, Romania

UMF “Carol Davila”, School of Medicine, Eroii Sanitari Bvd, Bucharest, Romania

Romanian Journal of Internal Medicine

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Introduction. In forensic pathology the autolytic process has been observed and documented in order to determine the postmortem interval as accurately as...

Correlations Between the Autolytic Changes and Postmortem Interval in Refrigerated Cadavers

Published Online: May 20, 2016

Page range: 105 - 112

Received: Nov 23, 2015

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/rjim-2016-0012

Keywords
autolysis, postmortem interval, autolytic alterations, cadavers, diagnostic errors, controlled environment

© 2016 Ela Andra Cocariu et al., published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Correlations Between the Autolytic Changes and Postmortem Interval in Refrigerated Cadavers

Published Online: May 20, 2016

Page range: 105 - 112

Received: Nov 23, 2015

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/rjim-2016-0012

Keywordsautolysis, postmortem interval, autolytic alterations, cadavers, diagnostic errors, controlled environment

© 2016 Ela Andra Cocariu et al., published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
autolysis, postmortem interval, autolytic alterations, cadavers, diagnostic errors, controlled environment