Forensic Interpretation and Importance of Simon's Bleeding, Amussat's Sign and Other Typical Findings of Hanging as Diagnostic Signs.

Hanging is amongst the most commonly used methods of suicide. Multiple findings could be observed in such cases. Knowing the proper mechanism of their occurrence and how to interpret them is of utmost importance in forensic practice to avoid misinterpretation and wrong conclusions. The study aimed to present a case of hanging with putrefactive changes - external and internal findings, signs or prolonged stay in a hanged position, their interpretation, and discussion as part of the routine forensic practice.

Cause and Manner of Death of a Skeletonized Cadaver: Meeting Some Challenges.

Cause of death is defined as a natural disease or injury that led to physiologic changes resulting in death. Manner of death refers to the circumstances surrounding death. Decomposition, especially in advanced stages, creates difficulties in post-mortem examination for it encompasses the processes that lead to the loss of important observable findings and features. Traumatic injuries observed in decomposed cadavers might be analyzed by their vital features and significance for the occurrence of fatal outcomes that help determine the cause and manner of death. An almost fully skeletonized cadaver was admitted to the Department of Forensic Medicine and Deontology at The Medical University, Sofia, Bulgaria. Along with the obligation to answer the post-mortem interval, what were the anthropological and biological features, the cause and manner of death had to be determined in order to classify the case as criminal or not. The cause of death was established by the morphological finding - gunshot injury of the head, passing the brain. The manner of death remained undetermined because of the absence of soft tissues in the areas of the injuries. It was concluded that there was no sufficient forensic data to answer if it was suicide, homicide, or even an accident.

Severe Burns of the Genital Area After Laser Hair Removal: A Case Report.

Burn injuries are among the most commonly observed complications of laser hair removal. Here, we present a case, in which severe massive burns were caused in the genital and perineal areas during such a procedure. The consequent scar formation led not only to negative aesthetic effects but also affected the physical and psychological health of the patient.

Child Sexual Abuse: Forensic Medical Assessment of the Traumatic Injuries Over the Victim's Body.

Child sexual abuse is a public health problem that affects children worldwide in all ethnic, educational, and socioeconomic groups. These assaults are extremely dangerous not only due to their direct physical traumas received at the time of the abuse, but they also have long-term consequences that can worsen the future quality of the victim's life. A retrospective study of all cases related to child sexual abuse for five years was performed by materials of the Clinic of Forensic Medicine and Deontology, Sofia, Bulgaria. Ninety-five cases involve children from both genders. The traumatic injuries were carefully examined and classified according to their localization over the victim's bodies and based on the time that had passed after the reported assaults. In cases of sexual violence, the most informative and pointing at the exact type of violence are the injuries situated in the anogenital area. Too often, there is a lack of physical findings, depending on the type of sexual violence or associated with the prolonged time that passes after the crime. Children are unaware of what they have to do after suffering such traumas, or they are scared to share their experience with different family members, which can lead to late forensic examination and lack of physical and biological findings, which are the most critical traces in the criminal prosecution of the crimes and this can be a possibility for the perpetrator not to be charged for his unlawful actions.

Difficulties Encountered by Forensic Pathologists in Proving Abusive Head Trauma in Children: A Case Report.

Shaken baby syndrome (SBS) or abusive head trauma (AHT) is one of the most common causes of death or serious neurological injury resulting from child abuse. AHT is defined as injury to the skull or intracranial contents of an infant or child younger than five years due to intentional abrupt impact and/or violent shaking. It is characterized by acute encephalopathy with subdural and retinal hemorrhages. We present a case of AHT that does not show the typical clinical triad. We describe one case of a pediatric patient addressed for forensic autopsy and where suspicion of AHT has arisen. The injury mechanism involved in the production of this syndrome and its clinical manifestation are sources of debate in forensic medicine. Thus, forensic pathologists must analyze all findings to determine SBS/AHT.