Scratched pustule or gunshot wound? A medical odyssey.
The diagnosis of a gunshot wound can be difficult especially if the morphology is not typical. In the case presented a neck injury was not recognised as a gunshot wound by several clinicians and radiologists although the bullet could be seen at the base of the patient's tongue and on all X-rays taken. This misinterpretation may have been caused by a "professional blinkers phenomenon".
Bajanowski
T
T
Institute of Legal Medicine, Westfälische-Wilhelms-Universität, Von-Esmarch-Strasse 62, 48149 Münster, Germany.
Karger
B
B
Brinkmann
B
B
D002574:Cervical Vertebrae; D003951:Diagnostic Errors; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011859:Radiography; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis; D016103:Spinal Fractures / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology; D014059:Tongue / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000293:injuries*; D014948:Wounds, Gunshot / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*