Evaluation of postmortem serum and cerebrospinal fluid levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone with special regard to fatal hypothermia.

Publication/Presentation Date

4-1-2009

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to undertake, during routine forensic work, a comprehensive analysis of the serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and to examine hypophyseal TSH immunopositivity in relation to the cause of death, with particular regard to fatal hypothermia. Medicolegal autopsy cases (n=120; within 48 h postmortem; survival time, <24 >h), including cases of blunt injury (n=9), sharp instrument injury (n=8), fire fatality (n=18), mechanical asphyxiation (n=10), drowning (n=21), poisoning (n=6), hypothermia (n=10), and acute ischemic heart disease (n=38), were examined. Serum and CSF TSH concentrations were measured using an electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. TSH immunoreactivity in adenohypophysis was quantitatively analyzed. Serum and CSF TSH levels were significantly lower in cases of hypothermia than in the other groups (p

Volume

11 Suppl 1

First Page

228

Last Page

230

ISSN

1873-4162

Disciplines

Medicine and Health Sciences

PubMedID

19369110

Department(s)

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Document Type

Article

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