Investigation of post mortem brain, rectal and forehead temperature relations

Celine Berger; Melanie Bauer; Holger Wittig; Kathrin Gerlach; Eva Scheurer; Claudia Lenz

doi:10.1016/j.jtherbio.2023.103615

Investigation of post mortem brain, rectal and forehead temperature relations

J Therm Biol. 2023 Jul:115:103615. doi: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2023.103615. Epub 2023 Jun 25.

Authors

Celine Berger¹, Melanie Bauer¹, Holger Wittig¹, Kathrin Gerlach¹, Eva Scheurer¹, Claudia Lenz²

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Forensic Medicine, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland; Institute of Forensic Medicine, Health Department Basel-Stadt, Basel, Switzerland.
² Institute of Forensic Medicine, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland; Institute of Forensic Medicine, Health Department Basel-Stadt, Basel, Switzerland. Electronic address: claudia.lenz@unibas.ch.

PMID: 37390676
DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2023.103615

Abstract

It is well known that magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is temperature sensitive, which is highly relevant for post mortem examinations. Therefore, the determination of the exact temperature of the investigated body site, e.g. the brain, is crucial. However, direct temperature measurements are invasive and inconvenient. Thus, in view of post mortem MR imaging of the brain, this study aims at investigating the relation between the brain and the forehead temperature for modelling the brain temperature based on the non-invasive forehead temperature. In addition, the brain temperature will be compared to the rectal temperature. Brain temperature profiles measured in the longitudinal fissure between the brain hemispheres, as well as rectal and forehead temperature profiles of 16 deceased were acquired continuously. Linear mixed, linear, quadratic and cubic models were fitted to the relation between the longitudinal fissure and the forehead and between the longitudinal fissure and the rectal temperature, respectively. Highest adjusted R² values were found between the longitudinal fissure and the forehead temperature, as well as between the longitudinal fissure and the rectal temperature using a linear mixed model including the sex, environmental temperature and humidity as fixed effects. The results indicate that the forehead, as well as the rectal temperature, can be used to model the brain temperature measured in the longitudinal fissure. Comparable fit results were observed for the longitudinal fissure-forehead temperature relation and for the longitudinal fissure-rectal temperature relation. Combined with the fact that the forehead temperature overcomes the problem of measurement invasiveness, the results suggest using the forehead temperature for modelling the brain temperature in the longitudinal fissure.

Keywords: Brain temperature; Forehead temperature; Post mortem; Post mortem MRI; Rectal temperature; Temperature modelling.

MeSH terms

Autopsy
Body Temperature*
Brain
Forehead
Temperature
Thermometers*