Post mortem contrast-enhanced computed tomography in a case of sudden death from acute pulmonary thromboembolism

Kikuchi,Kiyoshi; Kawahara,Ko-ichi; Tsuji,Chiyoko; Tajima,Yutaka; Kuramoto,Terukazu; Shihara,Miwako; Koga,Yukari; Shiomi,Naoto; Uchikado,Hisaaki; Morimoto,Yoko; Miura,Naoki; Mera,Kentaro; Ohno,Yoshiko; Miyagi,Naohisa; Hashiguchi,Teruto; Maruyama,Ikuro; Hayabuchi,Naohumi; Nakayama,Kenji; Shigemori,Minoru

doi:10.3892/etm_00000079

Post mortem contrast-enhanced computed tomography in a case of sudden death from acute pulmonary thromboembolism

Authors:
- Kiyoshi Kikuchi
- Ko-ichi Kawahara
- Chiyoko Tsuji
- Yutaka Tajima
- Terukazu Kuramoto
- Miwako Shihara
- Yukari Koga
- Naoto Shiomi
- Hisaaki Uchikado
- Yoko Morimoto
- Naoki Miura
- Kentaro Mera
- Yoshiko Ohno
- Naohisa Miyagi
- Teruto Hashiguchi
- Ikuro Maruyama
- Naohumi Hayabuchi
- Kenji Nakayama
- Minoru Shigemori
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Affiliations: Department of Advanced Therapeutics, Field of Cardiovascular and Respiratory Disorders, Division of Laboratory and Vascular Medicine, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima 890-8520, Japan
Published online on: May 1, 2010 https://doi.org/10.3892/etm_00000079
Pages: 503-505

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Abstract

A 77-year-old woman suffered a cardiopulmonary arrest the day after transvenous embolization of dural ateriovenous fistulae. The patient died despite receiving prompt cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Post mortem computed tomography (CT) was performed to determine the cause of death. No lesion was detected on a whole-body plain CT. However, a post mortem contrast-enhanced CT (CECT) performed after the administration of intravenous contrast and cardiac compressions detected pulmonary thromboembolism. Thus, post mortem CECT was useful in determining the cause of sudden death in this case.

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