title: Instrumental misdiagnosis and colon perforation: an autopsy case.
abstract: The authors report the case of a 75 year old man with bilateral inguinal hernia who suddenly died a few hours after hospitalization. Autopsy revealed death was related to a stercoral peritonitis ensuing from a perforation of the colon. The clinical picture during hospitalisation showed no typical signs of this. Court proceedings identified failure by the radiologist to identify the radiological signs of an intestinal perforation. The case report reviews the matter of the cause-effect relationship between death and radiological misdiagnosis and on the possible judicial consequences in Italy for the doctor, responsible for the failure to diagnose.
authors.affiliation: Department of Legal Medicine, University of Genoa, Via De Toni 12 - 16132, Genoa, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ventura
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Molinelli
authors.forename: Renzo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Celesti
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003106:Colon / Q000293:injuries* / Q000473:pathology; D003951:Diagnostic Errors; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D006552:Hernia, Inguinal / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D007416:Intestinal Perforation / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D010538:Peritonitis / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology