Abstract
AbstractAsbestosis is an interstitial lung disease caused by the inhalation of asbestos fibers and poses a significant risk to individuals working in construction, shipping, mining, and related industries. In a forensic context, postmortem investigations are crucial for accurate diagnosis, for which the gold standard is the histopathological examination. This case report describes the autopsy and related investigations conducted on an 84-year-old man, nearly one year (357 days) after his death. After a post-mortem CT scan, an autoptic investigation was performed, followed by histopathological, immunohistochemical, and scanning electron microscopy examinations. The integration of the evidence from these examinations with previously available personal and clinical information conclusively confirmed the diagnosis of asbestosis. We demonstrated the efficacy and reliability of our diagnostic protocol in detecting asbestosis and asbestos fibers and excluding mesothelioma even in decomposed tissues. According to our findings autopsy remains the diagnostic gold standard in cases of suspected asbestosis within a forensic context, even 1 year after death, therefore it is always highly recommended, even in cases where the body has decomposed.
Funder
Università degli Studi di Palermo
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Reference29 articles.
1. Bhandari J, Thada PK, Sedhai YR. Asbestosis. 2020.
2. Attanoos RL, Gibbs AR. Asbestos-related deaths. Curr Diagn Pathol. 2002;8(6):373–83. https://doi.org/10.1054/cdip.2002.0141.
3. INAIL. Il registro nazionale dei mesoteliomi - Settimo rapporto. 2021.
4. Rapisarda V, Cannizzaro E, Barchitta M, Vitale E, Cinà D, Minciullo F, Matera S, Bracci M, Agodi A, Ledda C. A combined multidisciplinary intervention for health promotion in the workplace: a pilot study. J Clin Med. 2021;10(7):1512. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm10071512.
5. Nadesan K. The importance of the medico-legal autopsy. Malays J Pathol. 1997;19(2):105–9.