Evaluation of the Utility of Ultrasonographic Elastography for Estimating the Post-Mortem Interval within the First 24 Hours after Death

• Grant number: 25/24061-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Program to Stimulate Scientific Vocations
• Start date: January 01, 2026
• End date: February 20, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine - Legal Medicine and Deontology
• Principal Investigator: Paulo Hilário Nascimento Saldiva
• Grantee: Suelen Tayna Okuyama Calizotti
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina (FM). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Thanatochronology, the study of estimating the time of death, is essential in Legal Medicine, with direct implications for criminal, civil, and forensic investigations. However, traditional methods based on classical post-mortem signs - such as rigor mortis (post-mortem muscular stiffness), whose analysis is highly relevant within the first 24 hours after death - are influenced by several factors, limiting the accuracy of these estimations. In this context, ultrasound elastography, an imaging technique that assesses tissue stiffness based on its elasticity in response to mechanical stimuli, emerges as a promising method to enhance the precision and objectivity of post-mortem interval determination. Accordingly, this study aims to evaluate the applicability of ultrasound elastography in determining the postmortem interval within the first 24 hours after death, through the measurement of muscular stiffness parameters. The research will be conducted at the Death Verification Service of the Capital (SVOC) of Faculty of Medicine, Universidade de São Paulo (FMUSP), involving 20 bodies from the Hospital das Clínicas, with post-mortem intervals between 0 and 24 hours. Classical measurements (algor, livor, and rigor mortis) will be recorded, along with muscle stiffness assessments using Shear-Wave Elastography (SWE) in the masseter, biceps brachii, and quadriceps femoris muscles, at predefined time intervals. The stiffness values (kPa) will be statistically analyzed to correlate elastographic findings with classical cadaveric signs and post-mortem time. It is expected that this project will validate muscular elastography as a complementary marker to rigor mortis, potentially enabling the development of postmortem reference curves, useful in both hospital and forensic contexts. (AU)