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. 2025 Sep;139(5):2165-2175.
doi: 10.1007/s00414-025-03482-6. Epub 2025 Apr 8.

Variance in intraindividual stability of vitreous humor for thanatochemistry

Antonia Kaehler  1 , Piotr Kuta  2 , Thomas Renné  2 , Jack Garland  3 , Rexson Tse  3 , Stefanie Iwersen-Bergmann  4 , Antonia Fitzek  4 , Benjamin Ondruschka  4
Affiliations

Variance in intraindividual stability of vitreous humor for thanatochemistry

Antonia Kaehler et al. Int J Legal Med. 2025 Sep.

Abstract

Introduction: This study investigates the intraindividual variability and ex-vivo stability of vitreous humor (VH) analytes for forensic thanatochemistry. VH, an anatomically isolated and robust postmortem fluid, provides valuable insights into the postmortem interval (PMI) and potential antemortem medical conditions.

Materials and methods: A total of 207 VH samples were collected from 36 cases and divided into three cohorts: serial sampling across three days postmortem, intraindividual variability assessment using triplicates, and ex-vivo stability evaluation through freeze-thaw cycles.

Results: Linear relationships between PMI and potassium, calcium, creatinine, and lactate were identified, but their non-linear trends limited PMI estimation accuracy. Sodium, chloride, and glucose demonstrated variations linked to cardiovascular and infectious conditions, while elevated urea and creatinine correlated with renal or multi-organ failure. The study highlighted the importance of interpreting these biochemical markers in conjunction with clinical and environmental factors to improve reliability.

Discussion: Ex-vivo stability testing revealed relevant variations in VH levels, emphasizing the need for standardized pre-analytical handling. Overall, while VH analytes offer promising forensic applications, their use for PMI estimation and medical diagnoses requires cautious interpretation within a multidisciplinary context.

Keywords: Postmortem; Postmortem interval; Thanatochemistry; Vitreous humor.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval: This study has been approved by the Ethics Committee of the University of Hamburg. Competing interests: The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclosure.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Cohorts, n = number of cases
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Time dependency of various VH analytes. Dot and box plot diagrams of seven different laboratory parameter levels at the three different postmortem sampling times. *-**** = grade of significance * = p ≤ 0.05, ** = p ≤ 0.01, *** = p ≤ 0.001, **** = p ≤ 0.0001. VH, vitreous humor. Results for CRP and glucose has not been plotted as most of the measurements were below the limit of quantification. The results are described in the main manuscript
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Concentration of the investigated parameters in relation to increasing time since death, dotted lines show the 25th and 75th percentile of all measurements, grey area shows the interquartile range. All individual values or lines outside the grey area were outside the interquartile range of measurement
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