Patent foramen ovale as incidental finding in postmortem computed tomography angiography

摘要

We present a case of an incidentally found patent foramen ovale in an adult that died after being shot twice, which was identified at postmortem computed tomography angiography (PMCTA). PMCTA was performed to visualize the trajectory and injuries due to gunshot trauma. The patent foramen ovale was detected in the arterial contrast media application by extensive, unanticipated filling of the right atrium and the inferior cava vein with a small contrasted connection between both the atria. The finding was confirmed by autopsy, but did not attribute to the cause of death.