International journal of legal medicine
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Comparative Study
Comparison of volume and attenuation of the spleen between postmortem and antemortem computed tomography.
The purpose of this study is to compare the postmortem changes in computed tomography (CT) findings between normal spleen, splenic infarct, and splenic tumor infiltration. ⋯ Spleen volume decreased and attenuation increased on postmortem CT compared with antemortem CT in subjects with a normal spleen, splenic infarct, or splenic tumor infiltration. These results should caution us against underestimating the significance of splenomegaly on postmortem CT, misinterpreting reduced splenic volume as the presence of hypovolemic or distributive shock in the subject while alive, and confusing postmortem splenic hyperattenuation with diseases characterized by this finding.