1.Formation of Tyrosine Crystals in the Gastrointestinal Tract: Uncommon Putrefactive Artifact.
Sang Yong LEE ; Young Shik CHOI ; Mie Ae LIM
Korean Journal of Legal Medicine 2000;24(1):20-24
Distinction of antemortem changes from postmortem artifacts is of obvious importance in determining the cause of death. Problems in differential diagnosis may occur as a result of faulty autopsy technique, decomposition changes and destructive environmental factors. Recently we experienced a formation of tyrosine crystals on the gastric and esophageal mucosa of decomposed corpse. The tyrosine crystals found on the gastric and esophageal mucosa were very similar and small pin-head sized whitish gray granules. At first we suspected them as a certain drugs or toxic substances. But the granular materials were confirmed as tyrosine crystals by infrared spectrum analysis. So we report here as a first confirmed case in korea. We think the tyrosine crystal is formed by putrefactive processes and consider as one of the putrefactive artifacts.
Artifacts*
;
Autopsy
;
Cadaver
;
Cause of Death
;
Diagnosis, Differential
;
Gastrointestinal Tract*
;
Korea
;
Mucous Membrane
;
Spectrum Analysis
;
Tyrosine*