An evaluation of the objectivity and reproducibility of shear wave elastography in estimating the post-mortem interval: a tissue biomechanical perspective
| Autor: | Vincenzo Lorenzo Pascali, Fabio De-Giorgio, Gabriele Ciasca, Ernesto D'Aloja, Emanuela Locci, Marco De Spirito, Ronel D’Amico, Anna D’Angelo, Pierluigi Rinaldi, Filippo Milano, Cesare Colosimo, Pietro Trombatore |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2020 |
| Předmět: |
Male
Computer science Pilot Projects Rigidity (psychology) Context (language use) Pathology and Forensic Medicine Ultrasound Humans Biomechanics Rigor mortis Time since death Aged Post-mortem interval Aged 80 and over Reproducibility Perspective (graphical) Reproducibility of Results Middle Aged Settore MED/43 - MEDICINA LEGALE Biomechanical Phenomena Objectivity (frame invariance) Shear wave elastography Settore MED/43 Elasticity Imaging Techniques Forensic Anthropology Female Forensic science Cadaveric spasm Biomedical engineering |
| Zdroj: | International Journal of Legal Medicine. 134:1939-1948 |
| ISSN: | 1437-1596 0937-9827 |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s00414-020-02370-5 |
| Popis: | Cadaveric rigidity-also referred to as rigor mortis-is a valuable source of information for estimating the time of death, which is a fundamental and challenging task in forensic sciences. Despite its relevance, assessing the level of cadaveric rigidity still relies on qualitative and often subjective observations, and the development of a more quantitative approach is highly demanded. In this context, ultrasound shear wave elastography (US SWE) appears to be a particularly well-suited technique for grading cadaveric rigidity, as it allows non-invasive quantification of muscle stiffness in terms of Young's modulus (E), which is a widely used parameter in tissue biomechanics. In this pilot study, we measured, for the first time in the literature, changes in the mechanical response of muscular tissues from 0 to 60 h post-mortem (hpm) using SWE, with the aim of investigating its applicability to forensic practice. For this purpose, 26 corpses were included in the study, and the muscle mechanical response was measured at random times in the 0-60 hpm range. Despite the preliminary nature of this study, our data indicate a promising role of SWE in the quantitative determination of cadaveric rigidity, which is still currently based on qualitative and semiquantitative methods. A more in-depth study is required to confirm SWE applicability in this field in order to overcome some of the inherent limitations of the present work, such as the rather low number of cases and the non-systematic approach of the measurements. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
|
Full text from SpringerLink