title: Morphometric analysis of stab wounds by MSCT and MRI after the instillation of contrast medium.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze the morphology and depth of stab wounds experimentally produced on human legs amputated for medical reasons using multislice computed tomography (MSCT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) after the instillation of a single contrast medium solution (CMS).
  
  
  METHODS
  For morphological analysis, MSCT and MRI scans were performed before and after the instillation of CMS into the wound cavity. Depth measurements were performed on the sagittal view only after CMS instillation. Subsequently, each wound was dissected using the layer-by-layer technique and the depth was measured by a ruler. One-way between-groups pairwise analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Bland-Altman plot analysis were used for comparing radiological and anatomical measurements.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Unenhanced MSCT images did not identify the wound channels, whereas unenhanced MRI evidenced the wound cavity in 50 % of cases. After the instillation of CMS, both MSCT and MRI depicted the wound channel in all the investigated stabbings, although the morphology of the cavity was irregular and did not resemble the shape of the blade. The radiological measurements of the wounds' depth, after the application of CMS, exhibited a high level of agreement (about 95 % at Bland-Altman plot analysis) with the anatomical measurements at dissection. A similar systematic underestimation, however, has been evidenced for MSCT (average 11.4 %; 95 % CI 7-17) and MRI (average 9.6 %; 95 % CI 6-13) data after the instillation of CMS with respect to wound dissection measurements.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MSCT and MRI after the instillation of CMS can be used for depicting the morphometric features of stab wounds, although depth measurements are affected by a slight systematic underestimation compared to layer-by-layer dissection.
authors.affiliation: Legal Medicine, University of Verona, Piazzale Ludovico Antonio Scuro, 10, 37134, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fais
authors.affiliation: Legal Medicine and Toxicology, University-Hospital of Padova, Via Falloppio 50, 35121, Padua, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cecchetto
authors.affiliation: Legal Medicine and Toxicology, University-Hospital of Padova, Via Falloppio 50, 35121, Padua, Italy.
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Boscolo-Berto
authors.affiliation: Institute of Radiology, University-Hospital of Padova, Via Giustiniani 3, 35121, Padua, Italy.
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Toniolo
authors.affiliation: Legal Medicine and Toxicology, University-Hospital of Padova, Via Falloppio 50, 35121, Padua, Italy.
authors.forename: Guido
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Viel
authors.affiliation: Institute of Radiology, University-Hospital of Padova, Via Giustiniani 3, 35121, Padua, Italy.
authors.forename: Diego
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Miotto
authors.affiliation: Legal Medicine and Toxicology, University-Hospital of Padova, Via Falloppio 50, 35121, Padua, Italy.
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Montisci
authors.affiliation: Legal Medicine, University of Verona, Piazzale Ludovico Antonio Scuro, 10, 37134, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: Franco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tagliaro
authors.affiliation: Division of Neuroradiology and Musculoskeletal Radiology, Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090, Vienna, Austria. chiara.giraudo@meduniwien.ac.at.
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Giraudo
mesh_terms: D003287:Contrast Media; D005554:Forensic Medicine / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007869:Leg Injuries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D061330:Multidetector Computed Tomography; D014951:Wounds, Stab / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media
keywords: Contrast medium solution; Forensic radiology; Magnetic resonance imaging; Multislice computed tomography; Stab wounds