Shell fragment aspiration seen at post-mortem computed tomography indicating drowning

A review on the evolution and characteristics of post-mortem imaging techniques

“…The following year the same authors observed in a new study that the volume and density of fluid accumulation in the maxillary or sphenoidal sinuses differed significantly between drowning and non-drowning victims, providing further information for identifying this cause of death [63]. Two years later, a study by Bolliger et al showed that the presence of waterborne foreign bodies in the internal cavities of human remains is indicative of drowning and that the presence of these foreign bodies, such as shell fragments, can be visualised using PMCT [64]. 4.6 Gunshot wounds -Traditional radiography is frequently used for the examination of gunshot wounds and for the location of bullets in the body.…”

Chloroplast gene markers detect diatom DNA in a drowned mice establishing drowning as a cause of death

“…Diatoms, the eukaryotic photosynthetic algae, are found in all open water bodies with their species more than 20 000 in number. The importance of diatom test in drowning is due to its silica wall that resist acidic environment of the human body and will survive for many years, while other microorganism will die in due course of time [1,2]. This property makes these golden brown algae as an important tool in forensic investigations especially in death due to drowning cases so as to determine a case of ante‐mortem or postmortem drowning [3,4] (Supporting Information Fig.…”