Postmortem noninvasive virtual autopsy: extrapleural hemorrhage after blunt thoracic trauma.
A 19-year-old man speeding recklessly along a highway caused a left-frontal crash with another car. After his vehicle came to a standstill, he climbed out of the wreck and crawled across the tarmac to the other side of the road, where he died several minutes after the accident and before the arrival of an ambulance. Postmortem multislice computed tomography (MSCT) demonstrated fractures of the first, second, and third ribs and scapula on the left, an extrapleural hemorrhage in the apical region of the left thorax, as well as a large amount of blood in the left thoracic cavity. These radiologic findings were indicative of a delayed rupture of a traumatic extrapleural hematoma into the pleural space. A traditional autopsy confirmed the very rare diagnosis of a traumatic extrapleural hemorrhage with a delayed rupture.
Bolliger
Stephan A
SA
Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Berne, Bern, Switzerland. stephan.bolliger@irm.unibe.ch
Thali
Michael J
MJ
Aghayev
Emin
E
Jackowski
Christian
C
Vock
Peter
P
Dirnhofer
Richard
R
Christe
Andreas
A
D000063:Accidents, Traffic; D000328:Adult; D001344:Autopsy / Q000379:methods*; D003288:Contusions / Q000473:pathology; D049429:Forensic Pathology; D006406:Hematoma / Q000473:pathology; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000473:pathology; D055370:Lung Injury; D008297:Male; D010996:Pleural Effusion / Q000473:pathology; D011030:Pneumothorax / Q000473:pathology; D011180:Postmortem Changes; D012421:Rupture; D013896:Thoracic Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D013898:Thoracic Injuries / Q000473:pathology*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods; D014949:Wounds, Nonpenetrating / Q000473:pathology*