Autopsy results of a case of ingestion of sodium hydroxide solution

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  • Emoto Yuko
    Department of Pathology II, Kansai Medical University, 2-5-1 Shin-machi, Hirakata, Osaka 573-1010, Japan Medical Examiner’s Office of Hyogo Prefecture, 2-1-31 Arata-machi, Hyogo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0017, Japan
  • Yoshizawa Katsuhiko
    Department of Pathology II, Kansai Medical University, 2-5-1 Shin-machi, Hirakata, Osaka 573-1010, Japan
  • Shikata Nobuaki
    Division of Diagnostic Cytopathology and Histopathology, Kansai Medical University Takii Hospital, 10-15 Fumizono, Moriguchi, Osaka 570-8507, Japan.
  • Tsubura Airo
    Department of Pathology II, Kansai Medical University, 2-5-1 Shin-machi, Hirakata, Osaka 573-1010, Japan
  • Nagasaki Yasushi
    Medical Examiner’s Office of Hyogo Prefecture, 2-1-31 Arata-machi, Hyogo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0017, Japan

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Description

Sodium hydroxide is a strongly corrosive alkali. We describe herein a case of suicide by ingestion of sodium hydroxide. A man in his 80s was found dead with a mug and a bottle of caustic soda. Macroscopically, liquefaction and/or disappearance of esophagus, trachea and lung tissue and a grayish discoloration of the mucosa of the stomach were seen along with blackish brown coloration of the skin, mouth, and oral cavity. The contents of the gastrointestinal tract showed a pH level of 7–8 on pH indicator strips. Histopathologically, liquefactive necrosis of remnant lung tissue and the stomach were seen. As biological reactions such as vasodilatation and inflammation were not detected in these organs, only a short number of hours must have passed between ingestion and death. This human case provides valuable information concerning the direct irritation induced by systemic exposure to corrosive substances.

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