[Forensic school of professor V.L. Popov]. / Sudebno-meditsinskaya shkola professora V.L. Popova.

The authors' idea of the "scientific school" concept is presented. The evolution of the forensic school formation is shown, starting from the student years, through professional specialization and scientific analysis of forensic practice to independent thesis. The basic principles of training military forensic experts in the Military Medical Academy are demonstrated. A summary of 40 candidates and doctoral theses performed under the scientific supervision and with the scientific advice of Professor V.L. Popov is presented as well.

[Life pages and scientific activity of Professor R.V. Babakhanyan]. / Stranitsy zhizni i nauchnoi deyatel'nosti professora R.V. Babakhanyana.

Professor R.V. Babakhanyan - Head of the Department of Forensic Medicine and Law, Pavlov First Saint Petersburg State Medical University is one of the notable teachers and scientists among the St. Petersburg forensic experts. Author of 500 published works, co-author of 6 monographs. He trained 28 candidates of medical sciences. The range of scientific interests - topical issues of forensic toxicology and injuries from non-lethal self-defense weapons.

[General characteristics of the driver's head injury in road accidents]. / Obshchaya kharakteristika travmy golovy u voditelya pri dorozhno-transportnom proisshestvii.

We studied the characteristics of head injuries in drivers (326 cases). There was no traumatic brain injury (TBI) found in 31.6% of the cases, and no head trauma - in 12.5% of the cases. Trauma of the soft tissues of the head without the formation of TBI was detected in 18.1% of cases, non-lethal TBI - in 19.1%, and fatal TBI - in 59.9% of cases. We characterized the injuries: their types, number and localization. A predominantly left-sided localization of head injuries, as well as anteroposterior damage asymmetry associated with phases of injury was noted. Injuries that form exclusively in the first phase with localization in the anterior parts of the head were found in most of the observations in non-lethal TBI and in cases injury to the soft tissues of the head injury without TBI. In cases of fatal TBI, the formation of injuries in both phases of the car injury was found, while the severity of the injury was mainly due to the impact on the front sections of the head.

[Comparative characteristics of injuries to individual body parts of the driver and passengers inside the passenger compartment of a moving vehicle in a traffic accident]. / Sravnitel'naia kharakteristika povrezhdenii otdel'nykh chastei tela u voditelia i passazhirov vnutri salona dvizhushchegosia avtomobilia pri dorozhno-transportnom proisshestvii.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the general nature of injuries sustained in a moving passenger car during an accident. The study investigated the nature of injuries in drivers (99 cases) and passengers in the front seat (64), rear right seat (15), rear middle seat (29) and rear left seat (22) who died in an accident due to frontal collision with an obstacle. The general characteristics of the resulting damage were determined with regard to their type, quantity and localization. Drivers were found to have predominantly left-sided injuries to the head and chest, as well as right-sided abdominal and pelvic injuries, frequent neck injuries, smaller limb and permanent foot injuries. The injuries sustained by front seat passengers were characterized mainly by right-sided localization of head and neck injuries, maximum left-sided injury of the upper and lower limbs, and an absence of injuries to the feet. Passengers in the rear right seat were predominantly characterized by right-sided localization of injuries to the head, chest, stomach, pelvis and limbs, an absence of injuries to the feet and a relatively high frequency of damage to the internal organs of the thoracic and abdominal cavities. Passengers in the rear middle seat were characterized by uniform distribution of injuries on the left and right sides of the body, a relatively high frequency of injuries to the head, upper limbs, chest, abdomen and pelvis, a relatively low frequency lower limb injuries and an absence of injuries to the feet. Passengers in the left-hand rear seat were characterized by maximum left-sided localization of injuries to the head, chest and left extremities and minimum traumatization of the internal organs of the thoracic and abdominal cavities.

[General characteristics of morphometric and morphoscopic signs of liver rupture with different localizations]. / Obshchaia kharakteristika morfometricheskikh i morfoskopicheskikh priznakov razryvov pecheni razlichnoi lokalizatsii.

The aim of this study was to compare the morphoscopic and morphometric features of local and remote liver ruptures under various external influences. It was found that the local main ruptures were formed in the case of impact trauma more often in the right side of the liver on its diaphragmatic surface, in the anterior third of the organ. They were linear and located in the longitudinal direction. The size of the ruptures increased as the impact force increased. Local additional ruptures were associated with impact and compression trauma and were located only on the diaphragmatic surface of the liver, more often in the right half, in the middle third of the organ. These ruptures were linear, co-directional and small in size under various external influences. Central ruptures were formed by impact and compression trauma, were located more often in the middle third of the right side of the liver and were slit-shaped with a longitudinal direction. The size of central ruptures was associated with falls on the stomach and compression trauma. Peripheral ruptures were formed in the case of impact and compression trauma, were located more often in the right half of the liver on its diaphragmatic surface, mainly in the middle third of the organ and were linear with a slanting direction. The relative constancy of the average sizes of peripheral ruptures was noted. Anti-shock ruptures were observed resulting from shock trauma and were located more often in the right side of the liver, on its visceral surface, in the rear third of the organ. They were linear and curvilinear, and longitudinally and obliquely oriented. Ruptures were relatively constant in size with different types of impact.

[Morphogenesis of central and peripheral liver ruptures in blunt-force trauma]. / Morfogenez tsentral'nykh i perifericheskikh razryvov pecheni pri travme tupymi predmetami.

The purpose of this study was an in depth investigation of the morphogenesis of central and peripheral liver ruptures in blunt trauma and to obtain additional information about their forensic medical significance. It has been established that central and peripheral ruptures are formed by shocks caused by very high forces, as well as by frontal compression of the body as a result of general deformation of the organ and rupture of parenchyma from stretching and tissue shearing. The surface relief of central ruptures was found to be independent of the type of external influence and was determined by the size of the rupture. The peripheral part of such ruptures was characterized by a relatively homogeneous surface topography formed by shear ridges, while the central part was characterized by an inhomogeneous surface topography formed by tensile zones. The surface relief of peripheral ruptures also did not depend on the type of external influence. The surface was relatively homogeneous, with ridges along the edge of the rupture, shear ridges and stretch zones directed deep into the rupture and forming the rupture surface relief in the form of alternating elevations and depressions.

[The forensic medical evaluation of the injuries inflicted inside the passenger compartment of a moving car equipped with the modern personal safety systems]. / Sudebno-meditsinskaia otsenka povrezhdenii pri travme v salone dvizhushchegosia legkovogo avtomobilia, oborudovannogo sovremennymi sredstvami individual'noi bezopasnosti.

The objective of the present study was to elucidate the characteristic features of the injuries inflicted to the victims of a road traffic accident inside the passenger compartment of a moving car equipped with the modern personal safety systems. The materials available for the present work included the lesions documented in 210 drivers and 150 occupants of the car passenger compartments. Both comparative, morphometric and statistical methods were used to analyze the data obtained. The morphometric analysis included identification of the form of the injury, such as extravasation, wounds, fractures, and lesions of the internal organs (e.g. hemorrhages, ruptures, etc.), their number and localization. Special attention was given to the specific features of the injuries to the occupants of the cars equipped with the modern personal safety systems. The study has demonstrated that the form, frequency, and localization of the injuries inflicted to the victims of a road traffic accident inside the passenger car compartment (including the drivers and other occupants) can be used for determining the positions of the victims at the moment of the accident.

[The characteristic features of vertebral lesions in the victims of a road traffic accident with intrusion into the passenger car compartment]. / Kharakter povrezhdenii pozvonkov u postradavshikh v salone legkovogo avtomobilia pri DTP.

The objective of the present study was to develop the diagnostic criteria for determining the positions of the participants of a road traffic accident inside the passenger car compartment based on the analysis of the characteristic features of vertebral lesions in the victims. The archival documents of forensic medical expertises were used to analyze the specific characteristics of fractured cervical vertebra in the victims of the accident inside the passenger car compartments including the drivers (n=92), the occupants of the forward (n=43) and rear (n=37) seats of the car. Localization and mechanisms behind the formation of vertebral lesions in the cervical part of the spinal column associated with the intra-compartment injury is of primary importance for the diagnostic purposes. The character of an injury to the cervical region gives evidence of the position of the driver and the occupants of the car inside the passenger compartment at the moment of the accident. Injuries to the cervical, thoracic, and/or sacral vertebrae may be indicative of the seat (either driver's, forward or rear) occupied by the victim(s). The fractures of the sacral part of the vertebral column are of negligible value for the differential diagnostics between the positions of the driver and/or other victims because they equally frequently occur in the drivers and occupants of both the forward and rear seats. Nevertheless, the proposed criteria made it possible to construct the mathematical model in the form of the logistic regression equations and to use them for making the probabilistic predictions as regards the positions of the participants of a road traffic accident inside the passenger car compartment based on the selected combination of pathomorphological characteristics in the victims.

[The peculiar morphological features of the surface relief of the major local ruptures of the liver in the case of a blunt injury]. / Morfologicheskie osobennosti rel'efa poverkhnosti mestnykh osnovnykh razryvov pecheni pri tupoi travme.

The objective of the present study was the comprehensive investigation of morphogenesis of the surface relief of the major local ruptures of the liver in the case of a blunt injury and the obtaining of an additional information on the possibility to use these data for the purposes of forensic medical expertise. We explored the reliefs of the major local ruptures of the liver in the cases of a single fatal blunt injury inflicted in a traffic accident, by kicking or a powerful stroke with the fist. In addition, the threshold hepatic lesions depending on their severity were determined experimentally. The model allowing to describe the qualitative relief alterations of the rupture surface associated with a blunt injury has been developed. The main elements of the surface relief of the major ruptures include avulsion and shear ridges, folds as well as 'extension zones'. Three types of possible rupture surface reliefs have been identified, viz. relatively uniform, stratified and fragmented non-uniform ones. Such reliefs are formed in the case of a threshold injury, powerful stroke with the leg or the fist, and road traffic accident, respectively. The location of the shear ridges at the ruptured surface makes it possible to determine the direction of growth of the local major rupture and of the stroke vector. The presence of multiple 'extension zones' at the surface of the local major rupture may serve as an indicator either of the influence of the unlimited traumatic surface or of the very strong stroke. The above features of the relief of the rupture surface provide the conditions for the application of the statistical approach to the elucidation of the mechanisms underlying the deformation and the destruction of the parenchymatous organs suffering a blunt injury.

[The construction of the three-dimensional model of the damaged bone tissue based on its roentgenogram]. / Postroenie trekhmernoi modeli povrezhdeniia kostnoi tkani po rentgenogramme.

The objective of the present work was to develop the method for the visualization of the shape of the bone surface in the region of its traumatic damage based on the results of the analysis of a single X-ray image for the solution of the problems facing forensic medical expertise and traumatology. The three-dimensional models of the fractures of the long tubular bones constructed with the use of the visualization technique were shown to adequately reproduce the morphological picture of the injury. It allowed to enhance the potential of the forensic medical analysis and the accuracy of the diagnostic methods employed for the purposes of forensic medical expertise.

[Visualization of the reconstruction of a criminal event by means of 3D-modeling]. / Vizualizatsiia rekonstruktsii kriminal'nogo sobytiia metodom 3D-modelirovaniia.

Forensic medical expertise carried out with a view to reconstruction of an event is a time-consuming procedure because it requires collection of a large amounts of various materials for the institution of a criminal investigation including physical evidence, photoboards of the site of an occurrence, etc. A forensic medical expert may encounter difficulties when reconstructing and scrutinizing the scene of action at a single computer monitor in order to analyze the behaviour of each participant of the event. Of great help in such situations are modern software programs allowing to visualize the site of an occurrence with a maximum approximation to reality, simulate the actions of the victim(s) and alleged offender(s), perform a large number of other forensic studies. The present article provides the practical examples illustrating the possibilities of reconstruction of various events with the use of the three-dimensional modeling based on the MicroSmith Poser and Agisoft PhotoScan software packages for clarifying various circumstances, facts, and conditions of special interest for the preliminary investigation and inquiries.

[Forensic medical characteristic of hepatic rupture in the car driver resulting from the injury inflicted inside the passenger compartment].

The objective of the present work was to study morphological changes in the ruptured liver of the car drivers resulting from the injury inflicted inside the passenger compartment. Special attention was given to the number, localization, and shape of the ruptures as well as their size and direction. It was shown that the majority of the local ruptures were located in the anterior and the adjoining parts of the liver. They were rather deep and long, directed longitudinally, and had a linear, sometimes zig-zag or irregular stellar shape. The local additional ruptures were also found in the frontal part of the liver, they were shorter than and not as deep as the major ones. These oblique ruptures had an ark-like, angular, linear or zig-zag shape. Central ruptures of a slit-like shape were most often located close to the adjacent frontal part of the liver. Shock-proof ruptures were located in the posterior part of the liver. They were long, deep, and directed longitudinally, had either linear or zig-zag shape. The peripheral ruptures were located in the middle and posterior parts of the liver. They were long, rather narrow, and shallow; their distinctive features was the oblique direction, besides a curvilinear or zig-zag shape.

[The forensic medical evaluation of the injuries to the cervical spine in the driver and the front-seat passenger of a modern motor vehicle after the frontal crash].

The objective of the present study was to elucidate the specific features of the lesions of the cervical spine in the driver and the front-seat passenger of a modern car after the frontal crash. We made use of the archival materials of forensic medical expertises concerning the traffic accidents carried out in the city of Moscow during the period from 2005 to 2012. The study was focused on the analysis of the character of the fractures of cervical vertebrae in the drivers (n = 55) and the front-seat passengers (n = 85) of a modern motor vehicle involved in a traffic accident. It was shown that the drivers most frequently suffer bending-extension fractures of the cervical vertebrae, with the II-IV vertebrae being especially frequently subject to multiple fractures resulting in the damage to the anterior support column, sometimes to both the anterior and posterior columns, and much rarer to the posterior column. The front-seat passengers also suffer bending-extension fractures. The IV-VI vertebrae are most frequently affected in them with isolated damages to either the anterior or the posterior support column of the neck vertebrae.