1Assistant Professor, Kannur Medical College, Kannur
2Professor and Head, Kannur Medical College, Kannur
3Assistant Professor, Azeezia Medical college, Kollam
4Under Graduate, Mysore Medical College and Research Institute, Mysore
*Corresponding Author: Dr. Umesh Babu R, Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology Kannur Medical College, Anjarakandy, Kannur, Kerala Email: umeshbabu_r100@rediffmail.com, Mobile: +919986116341
The most common fatal injury in RTA or assault is on the head. Hence the present study was conducted in an attempt to compare CT findings with Autopsy findings in fatal head injury cases.
The study is a prospective study, conducted in the Department of Forensic Medicine at Mysore Medical College and Research Institute, in the months of May and June 2015. 42 cases (34 males and 8 females) of fatal head injury with records of antemortem CTs done in hospital, were included in the study.
Age group between 17–35 years were found to be most commonly involved in fatal head injuries. A male preponderance of 81% was observed. The CT to autopsy time in most cases was less than a day. Fractures were compared between CT scans and autopsy reports. A discrepancy was found between the findings. In case of fractures of vault of skull, CT had a better detection as compared to those of skull base. CT missed 32.3% of fractures. Temporal bone fractures were highly detected, while those of the skull base were missed in almost all cases.
Ct is still a gold standard in detecting fractures in cases of fatal head injury. Autopsy surgeons must be more attentive to look for maxillary, zygomatic and orbital fractures.
CT scan, Autopsy fractures of the base of the skull and fractures of maxillary bone
