# Micro‐CT for the differentiation between live birth and stillbirth: A pilot study

## TL;DR

This pilot study explores using micro-CT to distinguish between live births and stillbirths by analyzing lung aeration, offering a potential alternative to traditional methods.

## Contribution

The study introduces micro-CT as a novel, non-destructive method for detecting pulmonary aeration in forensic investigations.

## Key findings

- Aerated lungs showed a mean gas volume percentage of 9.52 ± 6.77, while nonaerated lungs showed 0.58 ± 0.66.
- Micro-CT can qualitatively and quantitatively detect pulmonary aeration in formalin-fixed samples.
- The method may be useful in forensic cases involving neonaticide, feticide, and intrauterine fetal demise.

## Abstract

The distinction between live births and stillbirths is crucial for determining the appropriate legal consequences. Historically, researchers have operated under the principle that an infant's lungs will be filled with air upon death, whereas a fetus's lungs will not. The flotation test for the lungs is the primary method still used in many jurisdictions. However, there are concerns regarding its reliability. For this reason, we conducted a pilot study to evaluate the feasibility of postmortem micro‐computed tomography (micro‐CT) for differentiating between formalin‐fixed aerated and nonaerated lungs. Lung samples from aerated (Group 1) and nonaerated (Group 2) subjects were scanned using micro‐CT. We calculated the gas volume percentage (GV%) in each sample. Group 1 (aerated lungs) showed a mean GV% of 9.52 ± 6.77, while Group 2 (nonaerated lungs) showed a mean GV% of 0.58 ± 0.66. These findings suggest that micro‐CT can qualitatively and quantitatively detect pulmonary aeration and may serve as a valuable tool in forensic investigations involving suspected neonaticide, feticide, and intrauterine fetal demise.