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Postmortem computed tomography (CT) is now routinely performed in forensic autopsies. Microfocus computed tomography (mfCT) has attracted recent attention because it can provide more detailed information than routine postmortem CT can. This feasibility study evaluated the usefulness of mfCT for examination of the hyoid bone and thyroid cartilage in cases of suspected strangulation, where advanced decomposition precludes detection of petechial hemorrhages and hemorrhages adjacent to fractures. The results show that mfCT was useful for identification of thin fracture lines in the fragile laryngeal structures. We suggest that mfCT should be considered for forensic autopsies in cases of suspected strangulation with advanced decomposition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blunt head trauma secondary to violent actions with various weapons is frequently a cause of injury in forensic casework; differing striking tools have varying degrees of injury capacity. The systematic approach used to examine a 19-year-old student who was beaten with a wooden teeball bat will be described. The assailant stopped beating the student when the teeball bat broke into two pieces. The surviving victim sustained bruises and a forehead laceration. The State's Attorney assigned a forensic expert to examine whether the forces exerted on the victim's head (leading to the fracture of the bat) were potentially life threatening (e.g. causing cranial bone fractures). Physical modeling was conducted using a pigskin-covered polyethylene end cap cushioned by cellulose that was connected to a piezoelectric force gauge. Experiments with teeball bats weighing 295-485 g demonstrated that 12-20 kN forces were necessary to cause a comparable bat fracture. In addition to physical testing, a computer-aided simulation was conducted, utilizing a finite-element (FE) method. In the FE approach, after selecting for wood properties, a virtual bat was swung against a hemisphere comprising two layers that represented bone and soft tissue. Employing this model, a 17.6 kN force was calculated, with the highest fracture probability points resembling the fracture patterns of the physically tested bats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coronary artery anomalies are found in approximately 1.3 % of symptomatic adult patients undergoing coronary arteriography and encompass a wide variety of anatomic patterns. Single coronary arteries are found in 0.024-0.066 % of this group. The particular type of a single coronary artery with an anatomically correct course of either artery (so-called L/R-I type according to the Lipton and Yamanaka/Hobbs classification) is an especially rare phenomenon and has been described for the left coronary artery and for the right coronary artery in adults. In these anomalies an isolated coronary artery ensuring the blood supply of the entire heart displayed a compensatory widening of the lumen. The case of a 6-year-old boy who collapsed during exercise and died subsequently of acute cardiac death is presented. At autopsy a single right coronary artery with an anatomically correct course (R-I type) arising from the right sinus of Valsalva was found. On microscopic examination myocardial calcifications and scars were found in the papillary muscles of the mitral valve. Common ion channel disorders were excluded by DNA analysis. Sudden cardiac death on the basis of chronic ischemic heart disease was ascertained as the cause of death. Autopsy and microscopic findings, as well as aspects of the underlying pathophysiology, are presented and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paradoxical undressing is a phenomenon associated with fatalities due to severe hypothermia, which is characterized by the act of active undressing, despite low ambient temperatures, as a consequence of peripheral vasodilation. A 51-year-old man was found lying naked and inanimate on a road. Articles of his clothing were scattered in surrounding bushes. A nearby handrail showed a partially washed away bloodstain pattern. A forensic autopsy was used to distinguish whether death was due to a hypothermic fatality or whether the deceased was a victim of an accident or homicide. Medicolegal autopsy revealed craniofacial dissociation with injuries to the thorax and extremities and established choking/asphyxia due to deep aspiration of blood in combination with external blood loss as the cause of death. In the absence of hypothermia-related signs and toxicological findings the case was considered to be a homicide. Police investigation led to the conviction of a man who confessed to having kicked and hit the victim and forced him to take off his clothes in a humiliation-related scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]