MIMICKING INJURIES AND CONDITIONS IN THE FORENSIC PRACTICE


Authors: Teodora Kiryakova, Atanas Chistov, Alexandar Alexandrov, Biliana Mileva
Keywords: Mimicking injuries, forensic medicine, proper investigation

Abstract:
Introduction: The correct interpretation of the morphological appearance of traumatic injuries during a forensic medical autopsy is the basis for defining the mechanism of their origin and the objects they were caused by, respectively the proper completion of the forensic medical examination that will lead to a correct diagnosis of the cause of death. This is of utmost importance not only for in the forensic practice but also for the investigations carried out by the police. In some cases, it is possible that the appearance of one injury is largely imitated by another one, which carries the risk of leading the investigation in a wrong direction. Materials and methods: We performed complete forensic medical autopsies with toxicological analysis of blood, urine samples, internal organ parts, and histological examination of tissue samples. Results: We present cases in which we observed injuries during the external examination and forensic autopsy of deceased imitating in their morphological appearance other injuries. Discussion and conclusion: The proper recognition and interpretation of traumatic injuries is relevant to any forensic medical expert in order to avoid misleading the police investigation. Download article