title: Suicidal knife wound to the heart: challenges in reconstructing wound channels with post mortem CT and CT-angiography.
abstract: We present a case of an individual who stabbed himself through the heart with a large knife. Post mortem computed tomography (CT) and CT-angiography were used to assess the stab channel and to reconstruct the sequence of events. After penetrating injuries to the chest, both the intra-thoracic organs and the injury causing instrument may shift (e.g. from pnemothorax) and render forensic reconstructions more challenging. This case report illustrates the potentials and the pitfalls of CT for the reconstruction of penetrating injures to the chest.
authors.affiliation: Center of Forensic Imaging and Virtopsy, Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland. thomas.ruder@irm.unibe.ch
authors.forename: Thomas D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Ruder
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ketterer
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Preiss
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bolliger
authors.forename: Steffen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ross
authors.forename: Walther F
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: Gotsmy
authors.forename: Garyfalia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ampanozi
authors.forename: Tanja
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Germerott
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Thali
authors.forename: Gary M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Hatch
mesh_terms: D001344:Autopsy / Q000379:methods; D017023:Coronary Angiography / Q000379:methods; D049429:Forensic Pathology / Q000379:methods; D006335:Heart Injuries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013405:Suicide; D036542:Tomography, Spiral Computed / Q000379:methods; D014951:Wounds, Stab / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*