Reconstruction of devastating head injuries: a useful method in forensic pathology. 2011

Petr Hejna, and Miroslav Safr, and Lenka Zátopková
Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Králové, Institute of Legal Medicine, Charles University in Prague, Šimkova 870, 500 01 Hradec Králové, Czech Republic. hejnap@lfhk.cuni.cz

Crushing head injuries usually do not allow direct visual identification of individuals, and above all, it constitutes an obstacle to comprehensive evaluation of discrete traumatic changes of the skin and soft tissues. We present our experience with the plastic adaptation of devastating head injuries in the two exemplary cases. The principal of the reconstruction is manual repositioning of bone fragments of the cranial and facial parts of the skull and careful approximation of the wound edges and their gradual suture using suture material. The reconstruction method can be recommended as an auxiliary technique in the identification of unknown victims with crushing head injuries and in the evaluation of devastating gunshot wound of the head.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008297 Male Males
D008875 Middle Aged An adult aged 45 - 64 years. Middle Age
D005147 Facial Bones The facial skeleton, consisting of bones situated between the cranial base and the mandibular region. While some consider the facial bones to comprise the hyoid (HYOID BONE), palatine (HARD PALATE), and zygomatic (ZYGOMA) bones, MANDIBLE, and MAXILLA, others include also the lacrimal and nasal bones, inferior nasal concha, and vomer but exclude the hyoid bone. (Jablonski, Dictionary of Dentistry, 1992, p113) Bone, Facial,Bones, Facial,Facial Bone
D005151 Facial Injuries General or unspecified injuries to the soft tissue or bony portions of the face. Injuries, Facial,Facial Injury,Injury, Facial
D006259 Craniocerebral Trauma Traumatic injuries involving the cranium and intracranial structures (i.e., BRAIN; CRANIAL NERVES; MENINGES; and other structures). Injuries may be classified by whether or not the skull is penetrated (i.e., penetrating vs. nonpenetrating) or whether there is an associated hemorrhage. Frontal Region Trauma,Head Injuries,Head Trauma,Occipital Region Trauma,Parietal Region Trauma,Temporal Region Trauma,Craniocerebral Injuries,Crushing Skull Injury,Forehead Trauma,Head Injuries, Multiple,Head Injury, Minor,Head Injury, Open,Head Injury, Superficial,Injuries, Craniocerebral,Injuries, Head,Multiple Head Injuries,Occipital Trauma,Open Head Injury,Superficial Head Injury,Trauma, Head,Craniocerebral Injury,Craniocerebral Traumas,Crushing Skull Injuries,Forehead Traumas,Frontal Region Traumas,Head Injuries, Minor,Head Injuries, Open,Head Injuries, Superficial,Head Injury,Head Injury, Multiple,Head Traumas,Injuries, Minor Head,Injuries, Multiple Head,Injuries, Open Head,Injuries, Superficial Head,Injury, Craniocerebral,Injury, Head,Injury, Minor Head,Injury, Multiple Head,Injury, Open Head,Injury, Superficial Head,Minor Head Injuries,Minor Head Injury,Multiple Head Injury,Occipital Region Traumas,Occipital Traumas,Open Head Injuries,Parietal Region Traumas,Region Trauma, Frontal,Region Trauma, Occipital,Region Trauma, Parietal,Region Traumas, Frontal,Region Traumas, Occipital,Region Traumas, Parietal,Skull Injuries, Crushing,Skull Injury, Crushing,Superficial Head Injuries,Temporal Region Traumas,Trauma, Craniocerebral,Trauma, Forehead,Trauma, Frontal Region,Trauma, Occipital,Trauma, Occipital Region,Trauma, Parietal Region,Trauma, Temporal Region,Traumas, Craniocerebral,Traumas, Forehead,Traumas, Frontal Region,Traumas, Head,Traumas, Occipital,Traumas, Occipital Region,Traumas, Parietal Region,Traumas, Temporal Region
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000062 Accidents, Occupational Unforeseen occurrences, especially injuries in the course of work-related activities. Accidents, Industrial,Industrial Accidents,Occupational Accidents,Accident, Industrial,Accident, Occupational,Industrial Accident,Occupational Accident
D012886 Skull The SKELETON of the HEAD including the FACIAL BONES and the bones enclosing the BRAIN. Calvaria,Cranium,Calvarium,Skulls
D013405 Suicide The act of killing oneself. Suicides
D013536 Suture Techniques Techniques for securing together the edges of a wound, with loops of thread or similar materials (SUTURES). Suture Technics,Suture Technic,Suture Technique,Technic, Suture,Technics, Suture,Technique, Suture,Techniques, Suture

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