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KUTARA K, KADEKARU S, HISAEDA K, SUGIMOTO K, ONO T, INOUE Y, NAKAMURA S, YOSHITAKE R, OHZAWA E, GOTO A, IWATA E, SHIBANO K, UNE Y, KITAGAWA H. Postmortem magnetic resonance imaging findings of tricuspid atresia with ventricular and atrial septal defects and subvalvular pulmonic stenosis in a Japanese native Noma horse. J Equine Sci 2023; 34:121-125. [PMID: 38274557 PMCID: PMC10806361 DOI: 10.1294/jes.34.121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
The necropsy of a 2-day-old Noma horse that died of weakness showed an enlarged cardiac base and a narrow cardiac apex, suggesting cardiac malformation. The excised heart underwent imaging to investigate its luminal structure. On three-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging, the right atrium and right ventricle were discontinuous. The right atrium communicated with the left atrium and the left ventricle communicated with the right ventricle. The lumen narrowed near the pulmonary artery valve. Since the same findings were observed on gross examination, the foal was diagnosed with tricuspid atresia with ventricular and atrial septal defects, along with subvalvular pulmonic stenosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenji KUTARA
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Okayama
University of Science, Ehime 794-8555, Japan
| | - Sho KADEKARU
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Okayama
University of Science, Ehime 794-8555, Japan
| | - Keiichi HISAEDA
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Okayama
University of Science, Ehime 794-8555, Japan
| | - Keisuke SUGIMOTO
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Okayama
University of Science, Ehime 794-8555, Japan
| | - Tetsushi ONO
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Yamaguchi
University, Yamaguchi 753-8515, Japan
| | - Yoichi INOUE
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Okayama
University of Science, Ehime 794-8555, Japan
| | - Shinichi NAKAMURA
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Okayama
University of Science, Ehime 794-8555, Japan
| | - Ryohei YOSHITAKE
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Okayama
University of Science, Ehime 794-8555, Japan
| | - Emi OHZAWA
- Noma Horse Preservation Society, Ehime 794-0082,
Japan
| | - Akira GOTO
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Okayama
University of Science, Ehime 794-8555, Japan
| | - Eri IWATA
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Okayama
University of Science, Ehime 794-8555, Japan
| | - Kenichi SHIBANO
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Okayama
University of Science, Ehime 794-8555, Japan
| | - Yumi UNE
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Okayama
University of Science, Ehime 794-8555, Japan
| | - Hitoshi KITAGAWA
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Okayama
University of Science, Ehime 794-8555, Japan
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Di Fazio N, Scopetti M, Delogu G, Morena D, Santurro A, Cipolloni L, Serviddio G, Papi L, Frati P, Turillazzi E, Fineschi V. Fourteen Deaths from Suspected Heparin Overdose in an Italian Primary-Level Hospital. Diagnostics (Basel) 2023; 13:3361. [PMID: 37958256 PMCID: PMC10650777 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics13213361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Revised: 10/08/2023] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Healthcare-related homicidal cases are not novel within the medical-legal landscape, but investigations are often made difficult with the scarcity of material evidence related to the crime. For this reason, it is necessary to carefully analyze the clinical documentation and employ ancillary forensic resources such as radiology, histopathology, and toxicology. In the presented scenario, the observation of 14 deaths from abnormal bleeding in a First-Level Italian Hospital revealed the administration of massive doses of heparin by a nurse. On behalf of the Judicial Authority, a multidisciplinary medical team investigated the case through the following steps: a thorough review of the clinical documentation, exhumation of the bodies belonging to the deceased patients, performing PMCT and autopsy, and collecting tissue samples for histopathological, immunohistochemical, and toxicological investigations. All the analyzed cases have been characterized by the observation of fatal hemorrhagic episodes not explained with the clinical conditions of the patients, confirmed using autopsy observations and the histological demonstration of the vitality of the lesions. However, due to the limited availability of biological material for the toxicological analysis, the indirect evidence from hematological analyses in hospitalized patients was crucial in demonstrating heparin overdose and its link to the recorded deaths. The present scenario demonstrates the fundamental importance of a multidisciplinary approach to cases of judicial interest related to the healthcare context. Therefore, the illustrated methodologies can be interpreted as an operational framework for similar future cases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola Di Fazio
- Department of Anatomical, Histological, Forensic and Orthopedic Science, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (N.D.F.); (M.S.); (G.D.); (D.M.); (A.S.); (P.F.)
| | - Matteo Scopetti
- Department of Anatomical, Histological, Forensic and Orthopedic Science, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (N.D.F.); (M.S.); (G.D.); (D.M.); (A.S.); (P.F.)
| | - Giuseppe Delogu
- Department of Anatomical, Histological, Forensic and Orthopedic Science, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (N.D.F.); (M.S.); (G.D.); (D.M.); (A.S.); (P.F.)
| | - Donato Morena
- Department of Anatomical, Histological, Forensic and Orthopedic Science, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (N.D.F.); (M.S.); (G.D.); (D.M.); (A.S.); (P.F.)
| | - Alessandro Santurro
- Department of Anatomical, Histological, Forensic and Orthopedic Science, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (N.D.F.); (M.S.); (G.D.); (D.M.); (A.S.); (P.F.)
| | - Luigi Cipolloni
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Foggia, 71100 Foggia, Italy;
| | - Gaetano Serviddio
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Foggia, 71100 Foggia, Italy;
| | - Luigi Papi
- Department of Legal Medicine, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy; (L.P.); (E.T.)
| | - Paola Frati
- Department of Anatomical, Histological, Forensic and Orthopedic Science, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (N.D.F.); (M.S.); (G.D.); (D.M.); (A.S.); (P.F.)
| | - Emanuela Turillazzi
- Department of Legal Medicine, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy; (L.P.); (E.T.)
| | - Vittorio Fineschi
- Department of Anatomical, Histological, Forensic and Orthopedic Science, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (N.D.F.); (M.S.); (G.D.); (D.M.); (A.S.); (P.F.)
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Michler K, Hessman C, Prümmer M, Achenbach S, Uder M, Janka R. Cardiac MRI: An Alternative Method to Determine the Left Ventricular Function. Diagnostics (Basel) 2023; 13:diagnostics13081437. [PMID: 37189538 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics13081437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2023] [Revised: 04/09/2023] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023] Open
Abstract
(1) Background: With the conventional contour surface method (KfM) for the evaluation of cardiac function parameters, the papillary muscle is considered to be part of the left ventricular volume. This systematic error can be avoided with a relatively easy-to-implement pixel-based evaluation method (PbM). The objective of this thesis is to compare the KfM and the PbM with regard to their difference due to papillary muscle volume exclusion. (2) Material and Methods: In the retrospective study, 191 cardiac-MR image data sets (126 male, 65 female; median age 51 years; age distribution 20-75 years) were analysed. The left ventricular function parameters: end-systolic volume (ESV), end-diastolic volume (EDV), ejection fraction (EF) and stroke volume (SV) were determined using classical KfW (syngo.via and cvi42 = gold standard) and PbM. Papillary muscle volume was calculated and segmented automatically via cvi42. The time required for evaluation with the PbM was collected. (3) Results: The size of EDV was 177 mL (69-444.5 mL) [average, [minimum-maximum]], ESV was 87 mL (20-361.4 mL), SV was 88 mL and EF was 50% (13-80%) in the pixel-based evaluation. The corresponding values with cvi42 were EDV 193 mL (89-476 mL), ESV 101 mL (34-411 mL), SV 90 mL and EF 45% (12-73%) and syngo.via: EDV 188 mL (74-447 mL), ESV 99 mL (29-358 mL), SV 89 mL (27-176 mL) and EF 47% (13-84%). The comparison between the PbM and KfM showed a negative difference for end-diastolic volume, a negative difference for end-systolic volume and a positive difference for ejection fraction. No difference was seen in stroke volume. The mean papillary muscle volume was calculated to be 14.2 mL. The evaluation with PbM took an average of 2:02 min. (4) Conclusion: PbM is easy and fast to perform for the determination of left ventricular cardiac function. It provides comparable results to the established disc/contour area method in terms of stroke volume and measures "true" left ventricular cardiac function while omitting the papillary muscles. This results in an average 6% higher ejection fraction, which can have a significant influence on therapy decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kerstin Michler
- Faculty of Medicine, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), 91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Christopher Hessman
- Institute of Radiology, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | | | - Stephan Achenbach
- Department of Medicine 2-Cardiology and Angiology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Universitätsklinikum, 91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Michael Uder
- Institute of Radiology, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Rolf Janka
- Institute of Radiology, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91054 Erlangen, Germany
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Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Appraising Myocardial Strain and Biomechanics: A Current Overview. Diagnostics (Basel) 2023; 13:diagnostics13030553. [PMID: 36766658 PMCID: PMC9914753 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics13030553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2023] [Revised: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Subclinical alterations in myocardial structure and function occur early during the natural disease course. In contrast, clinically overt signs and symptoms occur during late phases, being associated with worse outcomes. Identification of such subclinical changes is critical for timely diagnosis and accurate management. Hence, implementing cost-effective imaging techniques with accuracy and reproducibility may improve long-term prognosis. A growing body of evidence supports using cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) to quantify deformation parameters. Tissue-tagging (TT-CMR) and feature-tracking CMR (FT-CMR) can measure longitudinal, circumferential, and radial strains and recent research emphasize their diagnostic and prognostic roles in ischemic heart disease and primary myocardial illnesses. Additionally, these methods can accurately determine LV wringing and functional dynamic geometry parameters, such as LV torsion, twist/untwist, LV sphericity index, and long-axis strain, and several studies have proved their utility in prognostic prediction in various cardiovascular patients. More recently, few yet important studies have suggested the superiority of fast strain-encoded imaging CMR-derived myocardial strain in terms of accuracy and significantly reduced acquisition time, however, more studies need to be carried out to establish its clinical impact. Herein, the current review aims to provide an overview of currently available data regarding the role of CMR in evaluating myocardial strain and biomechanics.
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Liver Trauma: Management in the Emergency Setting and Medico-Legal Implications. Diagnostics (Basel) 2022; 12:diagnostics12061456. [PMID: 35741266 PMCID: PMC9221646 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics12061456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2022] [Revised: 06/09/2022] [Accepted: 06/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Traumatic abdominal injuries are life-threatening emergencies frequently seen in the Emergency Department (ED). The most common is liver trauma, which accounts for approximately 5% of all ED admissions for trauma. The management of blunt liver trauma has evolved significantly over the past few decades and, according to the injury’s severity, it may require massive resuscitation, radiological procedures, endoscopy, or surgery. Patients admitted to the ED with blunt abdominal trauma require a multidisciplinary evaluation, including emergency physicians, surgeons, radiologists, and anesthetists, who must promptly identify the extent of the injury to prevent serious complications. In case of a patient’s death, the execution of a forensic examination carried out with a multidisciplinary approach (radiological, macroscopic, and histological) is essential to understand the cause of death and to correlate the extent of the injuries to the possibility of survival to be able to manage any medico-legal disputes. This manuscript aims to collect the most up-to-date evidence regarding the management of hepatic trauma in the emergency room and to explore radiological findings and medico-legal implications.
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The Introduction of a New Diagnostic Tool in Forensic Pathology: LiDAR Sensor for 3D Autopsy Documentation. BIOSENSORS 2022; 12:bios12020132. [PMID: 35200392 PMCID: PMC8870429 DOI: 10.3390/bios12020132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2022] [Revised: 02/10/2022] [Accepted: 02/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Autopsy is a complex and unrepeatable procedure. It is essential to have the possibility of reviewing the autoptic findings, especially when it is done for medico-legal purposes. Traditional photography is not always adequate to record forensic practice since two-dimensional images could lead to distortion and misinterpretation. Three-dimensional (3D) reconstructions of autoptic findings could be a new way to document the autopsy. Besides, nowadays, smartphones and tablets equipped with a LiDAR sensor make it extremely easy to elaborate a 3D model directly in the autopsy room. Herein, a quality and trustworthiness evaluation of 3D models obtained during ten autopsies is made comparing 3D models and conventional autopsy photographic records. Three-dimensional models were realistic and accurate and allowed precise measurements. The review of the autoptic report was facilitated by the 3D model. Conclusions: The LiDAR sensor and 3D models have been demonstrated to be a valid tool to introduce some kind of reproducibility into the autoptic practice.
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