Differential intimal staining of the aortic root and pulmonary trunk following pulmonary thromboembolism.

A 68-year-old woman with a history of osteoarthritis and morbid obesity (BMI 48.1) who collapsed at her home address was found at autopsy to have to bilateral pulmonary thromboemboli. In addition, she had striking red staining of the aortic outflow tract intima with a normal cream/white pulmonary outflow tract. Although such differential staining of the lining of the great vessel is a feature of fresh water drowning associated with hypo-osmolarity of aortic blood, this case clearly demonstrates that this, along with other features that may be characteristic of drowning, are neither specific nor diagnostic.