Vascular measurement changes observed using postmortem computed tomography

Postmortem vascular changes were quantitatively analyzed in the aorta and vena cava and compared with antemortem findings as a basis for distinguishing between normal postmortem changes and pathological changes. Whole-body computed tomography (CT) was performed on 12 individuals before and after death. The scans, performed at seven levels (five for the aorta, two for the vena cava) within the vasculature, allowed various measurements to be made on the same individual before and after death. Postmortem long-axis diameter, short-axis diameter, and the square of the radius of the aorta were 79.2–85.0 % (mean 81.3 %), 55.6–80.0 % (68.0 %), and 48.5–71.4 % (60.8 %) of the antemortem measurements, respectively. The ante- and postmortem measurements of the long and short axes and the caliber of the aorta were statistically different (p