Shotgun pellet embolism to the brain.
This report describes the autopsy findings in a young man who died after having been shot with a shotgun from about 30 m. Although not suspected clinically, a right middle cerebral artery territory infarct was found; its cause was shown to be a shotgun pellet embolus that had lodged just proximal to the trifurcation of the right middle cerebral artery. The case underscores the importance of performing a thorough postmortem examination, including a careful study of cerebral vasculature, in instances of brain infarction.
Department of Forensic Medicine, University of Stellenbosch, Cape Town, South Africa.
M A
MA
Dada
I A
IA
Loftus
G S
GS
Rutherfoord
D000007:Abdominal Injuries / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D002536:Cerebral Arteries; D005260:Female; D005548:Foreign-Body Migration / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D002542:Intracranial Embolism and Thrombosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D009104:Multiple Trauma / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D013898:Thoracic Injuries / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D014948:Wounds, Gunshot / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology