颈内动脉系钝性损伤法医学鉴定现状

颈内动脉系是大脑的主要血供来源。法医学鉴定实践中,颈内动脉系钝性损伤后常出现血栓、动脉瘤或动静脉瘘等并发症,由此引起迟发性脑梗死、颅内出血死亡的案例并不少见。目前国内对颈内动脉系钝性损伤引起死亡的研究以个案报道为主,本文综合国内外相关的文献及案例报道,对此类损伤引起死亡的法医学特点及检查方法进行总结,发现颈内动脉系钝性损伤与头颈部直接暴力或间接暴力致头颈部超生理范围运动牵拉,以及颅底骨折切割等机制有关,多见于颈部机械性窒息、颈部按摩、车祸、高坠等案例。法医学实践中若遇到此类案例,常规检查未发现梗死或出血原因,应注意检查该动脉,正确分析外伤、疾病和死亡之间的关系。鉴于尸体解剖中完整暴露该动脉的难度较大,必要时可借助血管造影技术进行定位,提高鉴定意见的科学性和可靠性。     

Acute Fatal Coronary Artery Dissection Following Exercise‐related Blunt Chest Trauma

Coronary artery injury such as acute coronary dissection is an uncommon and potentially life‐threatening complication after blunt chest trauma. The authors report an unusual autopsy case of a 43‐year‐old healthy man who suddenly collapsed after receiving a punch to the chest during the practice of kung fu. The occurrence of the punch was supported by the presence of one recent contusion on the left lateral chest area at the external examination and by areas of hemorrhage next to the left lateral intercostal spaces at the internal examination. The histological examination revealed the presence of an acute dissection of the proximal segment of the left anterior descending coronary artery. Only few cases of coronary artery dissection have been reported due to trauma during sports activities such as rugby and soccer games, but never during the practice of martial arts, sports usually considered as safe and responsible for only minor trauma.     

Delayed left anterior and middle cerebral artery hemorrhagic infarctions after attempted strangulation: a case report

The 2 common carotid arteries bifurcate in the neck into the internal and external carotid arteries. The internal carotid artery enters the skull and further divides into the anterior and middle cerebral artery. During its short course in the neck, the carotid artery travels encased in the carotid sheath along with the vagus nerve and the internal jugular vein. During its course in the neck, the carotid artery is quite superficial, making it vulnerable to both penetrating and blunt traumatic injuries. We report here a case of a 40-year-old man who presented to the emergency department after sudden collapse and loss of consciousness a day after an attempted strangulation. Imaging revealed large hemorrhagic infarcts in the left anterior cerebral artery and middle cerebral artery territories as well as a smaller infarcts in the right anterior cerebral artery territory necessitating emergency decompressive hemicraniectomy. Our case report adds to the existing literature on nervous system injury due to strangulation. Physicians should be aware of the possibility of delayed presentation of neurological deficit after attempted strangulation.     

Vertebral artery laceration mimicking elder abuse

Elder abuse was first described almost 30 years ago. Today, approximately 1 in 25 elders is abused each year in the United States. A newly described form of domestic violence, the incidence of elder abuse will surely increase as the elderly population grows. Physical abuse/inflicted trauma is generally considered the most extreme form of elder mistreatment and includes blunt trauma, sexual assault, traumatic alopecia, and burns. Elder homicide is usually due to gunshot wounds, blunt trauma, stab wounds, or asphyxia. However, the difficult aspect of assessing the possible elder abuse homicide victim is delineating such inflicted trauma from accidental trauma. We report the case of a 94-year-old "demented" male, who reportedly fell out of his wheelchair. He was transported to a local emergency room, where he became unresponsive during examination. He experienced respiratory distress and was pronounced dead shortly thereafter. At autopsy, he had periorbital contusions and a midline abrasion between the eyes, with underlying supraorbital contusion. The skull, brain, and spinal cord were unremarkable for signs of trauma. The major traumatic finding was in the neck region. Neck dissection revealed hemorrhage extending from the base of the skull to the level of T-1 and anteriorly about the soft tissues, strap muscles, and vasculature. The strap muscles were individually examined and were free of hemorrhage. The carotid arteries and jugular veins were unremarkable. The larynx, hyoid, and thyroid were intact, with only surrounding hemorrhage. Further examination revealed a horizontal fracture of the C5 vertebral body and a medial laceration of the left vertebral artery at the C5 level; subarachnoid hemorrhage was absent. What initially appeared to be trauma to the neck, worrisome for strangulation or blunt force trauma, was a large retropharyngeal hematoma from the left vertebral artery laceration. Traumatic rupture of the vertebral artery usually occurs at the C1 and C2 levels, with resultant subarachnoid hemorrhage. This is an especially vulnerable location since it is where the artery turns and then enters the skull. Associated injuries include spinal cord transection or contusion, brachial plexus injury, pharyngoesophageal injury, and vertebral fractures. Retropharyngeal hemorrhage may result from deep neck infection, tumor, and trauma. Hemorrhage associated with trauma often involves flexion of the cervical spine, followed by hyperextension. The accumulation of blood slowly impinges on the pharynx/larynx and vasculature structures. The exact injuries and etiology of the hemorrhage must be determined to distinguish strangulation from blunt force trauma. The presentation of signs and symptoms can be helpful in assessing the decedent; however, in the practice of forensic pathology such a history is more often lacking.     

Laceration of the stomach by blunt trauma in a child: a case of child abuse

A case of perforation of the stomach following blunt abdominal trauma is described in a two-year-old boy. The abdominal trauma was the result of a blow to the abdomen by the stepfather. The child had ingested a large meal in the hour preceding the injury. The child died from peritonitis and shock 12 h following the injury. The literature on gastric perforation by blunt trauma is reviewed. Injuries to the stomach from nonpenetrating trauma are quite rare and are most often related to vehicular accidents. Gastric injury in a child presenting with a history of a minor home or play injury should arouse suspicion of more significant and perhaps intentional trauma.     

The mechanism of injury of the abducens nerve in severe head trauma: a postmortem study

The aim of this study is to investigate the mechanism of injury of abducens nerve at petroclival region in severe head trauma. Twenty specimens provided from 10 autopsied cases due to severe head trauma were investigated macroscopically and histopathogically. The slices of the abducens nerve taken consecutively along its course at petroclival region were stained with Hematoxylline-Eosin and evaluated under light microscope. In addition, coexisting cervical injuries in these cases were assessed macroscopically. Edema and perineural hemorrhagia of abducens nerve were identified in all cases. Nerve injury was found more exaggerated at the sites of dural entry point and petrous apex than any other parts of the abducens nerve. Furthermore, microscopically, also remarkable perineural hemorrhage of the abducens nerve was observed at the site of its anastomoses with the sympathetic plexus on the lateral wall of the internal carotid artery (ICA). Abducens nerve is injured at the sites of dural entry point, petrous apex and lateral wall of the ICA, directly proportional with the severity of the trauma. This finding is also significant in verification of the severe head trauma.     

Sudden death due to delayed rupture of hepatic subcapsular hematoma following blunt abdominal trauma

Blunt abdominal trauma can cause sudden, unexpected death due to injuries to internal organs. Rupture of a hepatic subcapsular hematoma is a relatively rare cause of sudden death following minor blunt abdominal trauma. Death may be delayed several days to weeks. The autopsy is an invaluable diagnostic tool that can be utilized to uncover sudden deaths due to abdominal trauma. The case of an alcoholic who died of a ruptured hepatic subcapsular hematoma is presented. The death investigation revealed that the victim had sustained blunt abdominal trauma during a fall a few days prior to death.     

Cerebral infarct following traumatic carotid artery thrombosis

An autopsy case of a 45-year-old man is presented. The man had sustained a minor head injury in a traffic accident 11 years ago previously and 5 years later had a cerebral infarction due to thrombosis of the carotid artery. There was histological evidence of a traumatic lesion of the vessel wall. Several contradictory expert opinions were rendered regarding the questionable causal relationship between occlusion of the artery and the previous trauma. In the court of appeal, an agreement was arrived at between the widow of the deceased and the third-party insurance of the person responsible for the accident.     

Fatal thrombosis of the basilar artery due to a minor head injury

A case is reported where a 20-year-old alcohol-intoxicated man was admitted to the hospital after a minor head injury. Initially there was no neurologic disturbances or complaints but after a few hours he became comatose, and he died 4 days later without regaining consciousness. The autopsy revealed no lesions of the upper cervical spine or the vertebral arteries, but the basilar artery was occluded in its entire length. No traumatic lesions could be seen by naked eye examination of the artery, and there was no accompanying subarachnoid haemorrhage. A thorough microscopic examination, however, using step-sectioning technique revealed a significant incomplete arterial rupture with an occluding luminal thrombosis superimposed, consisting predominantly of aggregated platelets. Only the very thin adventitia separated the vascular lumen from the subarachnoid space preventing the more well known fatal complication to a minor head injury: A subarachnoid haemorrhage. To the best of our knowledge, fatal thrombosis of the basilar artery due to a minor head injury has not previously been reported. The pathogenetic mechanism seems to be identical to that underlying fatal subarachnoid haemorrhage following a similar trauma apart from the resulting arterial rupture being incomplete instead of complete.     

Suicide by a circular saw

The case of a suicide of a 32-year-old female using an electric circular saw is herein described. The decedent was suffering from depression and was found dead in her room. Beside her right hand was lying a circular saw, which was not running. The autopsy revealed a large gaping wound measuring 15.5 cm in length on the right side of her neck. The right external carotid artery, the right internal jugular vein, and the right internal carotid artery were cut and the injury reached to the cervical vertebra. Therefore, the cause of death was exsanguination. An individual who commits suicide with an electric saw, such as a chain saw, band saw, and circular saw is rare; in particular females rarely select this method as the means of suicide. However, we herein report the case of a female patient with a psychiatric disease who successfully committed suicide with a circular saw.     

Fatal dissecting aneurysm of the internal carotid artery with delayed symptoms following facial impact.

A fatal dissecting aneurysm of the internal carotid artery occurred in a 16-year-old male following facial impact in an automobile accident. The patient showed no neurologic deficit until two days after the automobile accident, when he suddenly started having seizures and developed right-sided hemiparesis. There was no evidence of direct trauma to the neck externally or internally. The only injuries observed in the head and face were two skin lacerations in the chin area. His condition rapidly deteriorated, and he expired on the fourth hospital day. The gross and microscopic findings for the internal carotid artery are presented. The possible mechanisms for the vascular lesion and a review of the literature are discussed.     

Rupture of liver cell adenoma with fatal massive hemoperitoneum resulting from minor road accident

Blunt abdominal trauma can cause rapid death resulting from serious injuries of internal organs. The liver is commonly involved and may show tearing, usually in its upper surface, resulting in hemoperitoneum eventually leading to death. Minor trauma implies serious liver damage only when previous pathologic changes causing enlargement of the organ are present. The case of a 25-year-old woman who died as a consequence of a minor road accident is reported. At autopsy, the body showed no external injuries, the only relevant finding being a massive hemoperitoneum from the rupture of an unusually large liver cell adenoma. Liver cell adenomas carry a serious risk of spontaneous rupture, which may result in the death of the patient. The occurrence of the rupture after a minor blunt abdominal trauma is highly unusual.     

Occlusion of left and right coronary arteries and coronary sinus following blunt chest trauma

Blunt chest trauma from rapid automobile airbag deployment causing coronary artery occlusion and myocardial infarction is a rare but potentially fatal condition. We present the case of a 37-year-old man who developed extensive anterior and inferior myocardial infarction because of occlusion of both left anterior and right coronary arteries following blunt injury to the chest in a car accident. The patient was scheduled for emergency coronary angiography but left and right coronary ostia were not cannulated because of thrombus formation probably. The patient died, and the autopsy revealed external compression by epicardial hematomas involving separately left and right coronary arteries and the coronary sinus without signs of coronary and/or aortic dissection. To our knowledge, this is the first case presenting occlusion of both coronary arteries secondary to blunt chest trauma causing acute myocardial infarction in a young man without signs of prior coronary artery disease.     

A Novel Method for Removing a Spinal Cord with Attached Cervical Ganglia from a Pediatric Decedent

A diagnosis of child abuse is dependent on a comprehensive and accurate assessment of injury in the context of a thorough investigation. However, signatures of trauma are often subtle and interpretation can be very difficult. Recently, researchers have refocused their attention from the head to the neck in search of traumatic signatures of abusive head trauma. HCIFS has developed a technique to remove the cervical spinal cord with the ganglia attached that is less destructive and more time and cost efficient than alternative methods previously published. Once removed, the dorsal nerve roots and ganglia are evaluated for the presence of hemorrhage. The authors performed a small pilot study using the novel method to evaluate 20 decedents with a history of blunt force trauma and eight without a traumatic history. Fifteen of the traumatic deaths and two of the nontraumatic deaths were found to have dorsal nerve root and/or ganglia hemorrhage.     

Amussat’s Sign in Hanging—A Prospective Autopsy Study

Abstract: Amussat’s sign is typically a transverse laceration of the intimal layer of carotid arteries described in cases of hanging. Subtotal laceration of the carotid artery is not strictly specific for hanging and can be also caused by blunt neck trauma, extreme overstretching, or whiplash‐injuries. In a prospective autopsy study of 178 cases of hanging, Amussat’s sign was found in 29 cases (a relative frequency of 16.1%). A statistically significant association between the occurrence of tears in the intimal layer of carotid arteries and the victims’ age was discovered in the cases studied (the frequency increased with age; p < 0.05). The occurrence of Amussat’s sign was independent of gender, weight, completeness of the victim’s body suspension, and position of the ligature knot on the neck. The study demonstrates the fact that the most probable cause of Amussat’s sign is a combination of direct compression of the artery by the rope and indirect stretching because of the gravitational drag produced by the weight of the body.     

对冲性眶壁骨折的法医学鉴定

目的 探讨对冲性眶壁骨折在眼眶骨折中的分类及其发生机制以及法医学鉴定要点。方法 对42例对冲性眶壁骨折的法医学鉴定案例进行回顾性研究,全部资料有明确的致伤原因,均进行临床常规检查及双眼影像学检查。结果 对冲性眶壁骨折在眶壁骨折中占6.2％,致伤同侧42眼均表现为眼球钝挫伤,其中视网膜震荡18眼,重影症15眼,CT扫描显示眶壁无骨折。对侧42眼均无眼球钝挫伤及视网膜震荡表现,其中重影症10眼,CT扫描显示均为眶内壁骨折。双侧84眼全部出现视物模糊及视力下降。结论 致伤同侧眼表现为眼球钝挫伤以及对侧眼CT扫描显示眶内壁骨折为诊断对冲性眶壁骨折的主要指标,损伤程度评定为轻伤。     

钝力性心脏外伤38例尸检病理学研究

本文研究表明钝力作为原始致伤因素作用于胸部通过压、拉、剪切、旋转等可引起钝力性心脏外伤包括心脏震荡、心脏挫裂伤、心脏玻裂、心脏断离等原发性心脏外伤和继发性乃至迟发性心脏外伤，诸如外伤性心脏炎、冠脉血管炎、血栓形成、外伤性心肌梗塞、外伤性冠状动脉瘤、外伤性室壁瘤、迟发性外伤性心脏破裂等。致命性的心脏震荡，除急性冠循环障碍和心失常外，还可有心脏传导系统和神经组织损伤，尤其心肌肌膜爆裂（ｓａｒｃｏｌｅｍｍａｂｕｒｓｔ）及相应的原纤维膨出畸形变可以作为心脏震荡性外伤的形态学指证。外伤性心肌梗塞和迟发性外伤性心脏破裂以突然发生在外伤后的一定间隔期为特征，应予特殊注意．     

Patterns of trauma in conflict victims from Timor Leste

Understanding population-level trauma patterns has implications for the recognition of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Trauma data were abstracted from autopsy and anthropology reports for 105 victims from the 1999 conflict in Timor Leste. A significant number of individuals displayed no evidence of injury. No trauma was found in 25% of the sample, while a further 5% had only minor, nonlethal wounds. Where trauma was evident, sharp force injuries were most common (35%), followed by gunshot (20%) and blunt force (13.33%). Timorese frequencies of trauma differ significantly from percentages found in prior reports of mass killings from Cambodia, Bosnia, Croatia, and Afghanistan but closely resemble reported trauma patterns in Rwanda. Decomposition and percentage of body recovered were shown to have a significant impact on the presence/absence of trauma. Complete, fleshed remains were 10.4 times more likely than skeletal remains to have evidence of major or lethal trauma.     

The concept of forensic emergency medicine as illustrated by an unusual complication of pulmonary artery catheterization

Forensic pathologists are regularly confronted with emergency and invasive medical procedures performed on critically ill or traumatized patients. Basic knowledge of such procedures and their possible complications is therefore mandatory in medico-legal practice. In this article, we describe a very unusual complication of pulmonary artery catheterization: through-and-through perforation of the carotid artery, initially without hemodynamic consequence. Death resulted from an aggravation of the preexisting cerebral edema (secondary to a craniocerebral trauma). The misplacement of the pulmonary artery catheter was clinically missed because the guidewire was initially deflected on the cervical spine towards the subclavian vein where the catheter--by chance--entered the circulatory system and followed its normal route further. The forensic importance of leaving all invasive medical devices in situ on a deceased person when a medico-legal autopsy is to be expected and the mutual interaction between emergency and forensic medicine (forensic emergency medicine) are discussed.     

眼部损伤程度法医学鉴定60例分析

目的探讨眼外伤的特点及其损伤程度法医学鉴定要点。方法对60例眼外伤的法医学鉴定案例进行回顾性分析,对所有案例按照性别、年龄、职业、致伤物及损伤类型进行分类研究。结果眼外伤中农民、工人占61.7%,钝性损伤达85.0%,且大多属单纯挫伤,占63.3%。结论眼外伤大多属钝性外力所致,眼底病变是影响视力的重要原因,对外力与视力受损关系的评价要充分考虑致伤物种类、打击部位及伤前眼病史等诸多因素的影响。