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Published in: Pediatric Radiology 5/2018

01-05-2018 | Case Report

Pulmonary embolus as cause of death in an adolescent: demonstration on postmortem CT

Authors: Mary P. Harty, H. Theodore Harcke, Sharon W. Gould, Adrienne Sukula-Perlman

Published in: Pediatric Radiology | Issue 5/2018

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Abstract

Computed tomography (CT) is widely accepted in adult forensic death investigations (determination of cause and manner of death) but is only beginning to play a larger role in the cause of death determination in infants and children. We present a case of an adolescent with nephrotic syndrome who sustained cardiac arrest and died in the emergency department. A postmortem CT was requested by the state Office of the Medical Examiner as part of the medicolegal death investigation. Postmortem CT showed a saddle pulmonary embolus that was confirmed on conventional autopsy, demonstrating a natural manner of death.
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Metadata
Title
Pulmonary embolus as cause of death in an adolescent: demonstration on postmortem CT
Authors
Mary P. Harty
H. Theodore Harcke
Sharon W. Gould
Adrienne Sukula-Perlman
Publication date
01-05-2018
Publisher
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in
Pediatric Radiology / Issue 5/2018
Print ISSN: 0301-0449
Electronic ISSN: 1432-1998
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00247-017-4041-4

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