Archiwum medycyny sa̧dowej i kryminologii
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The authors draw attention to the importance of X-ray examinations in craniocerebral gunshot injuries. A life-saving neurosurgical operation of a victim resulted in changes occurring not only in the soft tissue, but also in the bony structures of the cranium, which practically rendered impossible any assessment of and differentiation between the location of entrance and exit wounds during autopsy. The assessment of preoperative head X-ray demonstrated the presence of characteristic crater-like bone defects, what allowed for determining the location of the entrance and exit wounds. The medico-legal examination of bone defects indicated that the entrance wound was situated on the left side, contrary to information provided by hospital medical records.
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Bullet embolism is an uncommon consequence of penetrating firearm injuries, rarely observed in everyday forensic practice. The present report presents two cases of gunshot bullet embolism. ⋯ The second case pertains to a gunshot in the head, with the bullet shot from a point blank range. The wound channel had a downward course and terminated in the superior vena cava at the level of the pericardium, where from the bullet was transported down the inferior vena cava to the right femoral vein.