LUNG DENSITY ON POST-MORTEM COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY USING THREE-DIMENSIONAL DATA : A COMPARISON BETWEEN FRESHWATER AND SALTWATER DROWNING

Purpose : To compare the density of the whole human lungs between freshwater drowning cases (FWDC) and saltwater drowning cases (SWDC) by using three-dimensional data obtained via postmortem computed tomography (PMCT). Materials and methods : Of 278 drowning cases in our database, 37 cases (18 men, 19 women ; mean age 70.8 y ; range 43-95 y) were selected for the study. Twenty-five were FWDC and 12 were SWDC. Three-dimensional data of the bilateral lungs were obtained from the PMCT. The mean, standard deviation, maximum, and minimum values of the CT number of the whole lungs were calculated. The mean CT numbers of lungs in FWDC and SWDC were compared. Unpaired t-tests were used to analyze the data. A P value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results : The mean (±SD) CT number of whole lungs was higher in the SWDC group than that in the FWDC group (−522.87 ± 66.80 Hounsfield Unit [HU], and −616.40 ± 86.34 HU, respectively, P = 0.001). Conclusion : Based on the PMCT findings, a higher lung density was observed in individuals who drowned in saltwater than those in freshwater, which may reflect the differences in the condition of the interstitial edema in the two types of drowning