A Comparison between Conventional Methods and Proton- Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (H1-MRS) for Estimation of Postmortem Interval in Six Different Species: A Systematic Literature Review

Authors: Gamal N*, El-Okle O and Wagih M

DOI: 10.23880/ijfsc-16000337

Volume 8, Issue 4

Abstract

Determination of the postmortem interval in forensic investigations is an important mission to achieve justice in the world of crime. Conventional methods used to date allow the estimation of the time lapse since death depending on circumstantial evidence, livor and rigor mortis evaluation, and core body temperature identification. They are effective methods, but in some cases, they are not feasible enough to achieve accurate estimation, especially in the occurrence of putrefaction, as there are no reliable data on putrefied cadavers. This review was undertaken to show the efficiency of different methods for the determination of the postmortem interval of six-species cadavers, with an analysis focus on brain metabolic variables using proton-magnetic resonance spectroscopy (H1-MRS) in further work. The review considered all published work in PubMed, Google Scholar, and eight other search engines concerning the time lapse since death using conventional methods and H1-MRS. Additionally, some graphs were plotted to help in data analysis and synthesis. It revealed that H1-MRS can determine the postmortem interval in six different-species cadavers either in an early or late period of death and even after the occurrence of putrefaction. To this end, it is concluded that the identification of specific brain metabolites and estimation of their concentration changes by using H1-MRS may become a good way to identify time since death accurately and beyond the currently achievable range.

Keywords: Post-Mortem Interval (PMI); Livor Mortis; Rigor Mortis; Body Cooling; Putrefaction Signs; Proton-Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (H1-MRS)

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