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Revista de Divulgación del INSTITUTO DE MEDICINA FORENSE de la UNIVERSIDAD VERACRUZANA

2025, Number 2

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Rev Mex Med Forense 2025; 10 (2)

The eye as evidence: Vitreous humor in the estimation of postmortem interval (MPI)

Castro AD, De León FSG, Matus BS, Alcalá SDG

Language: Spanish
References: 31
Page: 99-110
PDF size: 321.62 Kb.


ABSTRACT

The postmortem interval (PMI) is a time measurement used to determine the precise moment of death until the first examination of the body, an essential aspect in forensic medicine for identifying possible causes of death. Among the various bodily fluids analyzed, vitreous humor stands out due to its stability and resistance to contamination compared to others. This article reviews the significance of vitreous humor in PMI estimation, focusing on biomarkers like potassium as well as postmortem ocular changes that can serve as useful indicators. A literature research was performed using databases such as Scopus, PubMed, and UpToDate, resulting in the inclusion of 31 relevant articles related to vitreous humor and PMI. Potassium and other electrolytes are commonly used as postmortem biomarkers due to their specific changes over time that helps with this estimation, however, other forensic methods, such as optical coherence tomography (OCT), and ocular phenomena, like corneal opacity, are explored for their complementary value. This article highlights the value of vitreous humor as a reliable and accessible tool for PMI estimation, though further research is needed to validate the involved biomarkers.


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