Aneurysmal Rupture of the Internal Carotid Artery in a Presumed Neurofibromatosis Type I Patient / 대한법의학회지

Aneurysm of the internal carotid artery is a rare disease and is known to be associated with congenital arterial anomalies such as neurofibromatosis type I (NF-I). NF-I is an autosomal dominant neurocutaneous disorder characterized by a variety of manifestations that involve the central and peripheral nervous systems, skin, vascular system, and skeleton. In particular, the involvement of vascular abnormalities in NF-I is well known. Any vessel may be affected by this condition, although the renal artery is most frequently involved. The vascular abnormality can be occlusive or an aneurysmal degenerative change. Therefore, symptomatic presentations might assume an indolent pathophysiologic course such as hypertension, or manifest as a catastrophic event such as arterial rupture that could result in sudden death. We report a rare autopsy case of an aneurysmal rupture of the internal carotid artery in a woman with suspected NF-I, who collapsed in her home.

Application of 3D Surface Scanners in Forensic Science and Medicine ( I ): Digital Storage of Human Skeletons and Development of Appraisal Methods for Incident Scenes / 대한법의학회지

The aim of this project was to use 3D scanning data collected at incident scenes and various evidence to 1) develop surveying methods based on 3D data consisting of overall and detailed scene evidence, captured by long-range and micros-canner, which can be shared by personnel working in different fields such as forensic medicine, video analysis, physical analysis, traffic engineering, and fire investigation; 2) create digital storage for human skeletons and set the foundation for virtual anthropology; and 3) improve the credibility of 3D evidence by virtual remodeling and simulation of incident scenes and evidence to provide a basis for advanced and high-tech scientific investigation. Two complete skeletons of male and female were scanned using 3D micro-scanner. Each bone was successfully reproduced and assembled in virtual space. In addition, recreating evidence scheduled for invasive examination by creating RP (rapid prototype) was possible. These outcomes could play an important role in setting up the new field of virtual anthropology. Case-specific surveying methods were developed through analysis of 3D scanning data collected by long-range surface scanners at the scenes of vehicular accidents, falls, shootings, and violent crimes. A technique and recording method was also developed for detecting forged seals by micro-scanning the pressure exerted on the seal. Appraisal methods developed in this project could be utilized to secure 3D data of human skeletal remains and incident scenes, create a standard for application, and increase objectivity, reproducibility, and accuracy of scanning methods. We plan to develop case-specific 3D data analysis techniques to improve the credibility of analysis at the NFS and to establish a 3D data collection and analysis team.

A Statistical Analysis on Forensic Odontological Examination at the NFS from 2007 to 2010 / 대한법의학회지

Analysis of the cases registered for the Forensic Odontology Lab of the National Forensic Service (NFS) from April 6th, 2007 to December 2010 was performed to observe the trend and pattern of the cases, in order to propose measures for improvement in future cases both in quantity as well as quality. High rate of cases were observed from the capital area, especially in ground and mountains during warmer season from June to October. Most of the cases were of human remains requested and examined for the estimation of age, sex, stature and identification. However, some of the requested criteria were applied forensic methods such as postmortem interval, cause of death, and facial reconstruction which could not be conducted. To better fulfill the needs of the society, reform of the current registration-examination system by introducing a multi-disciplinary team for processing the scene, education of the law enforcement personnel, research and acquiring funds for the relevant areas, developing antemortem dental record database are recommended for improvement in quantity and quality of the information produced by odontology lab.

Dental Identification of the Victims of the Cold Storage Warehouse Fire in Icheon / 대한법의학회지

The fire broke out in the cold storage warehouse in Icheon, Gyeonggi-do, Korea on January 7th, 2008 and forty workers were died from the fire. Dental identification was carried out to the 25 victims among the 40 ones. The five remains were identified through dental approaches. The public ignorance about the importance of forensic odontology and the difficulty procuring antemortem dental records from the families of the victims were kind of hardships to use the victim's previous dental information. The availability of antemortem data was 12.5%. The public realization about the importance of dental identification and building-up an appropriate co-work system between relevant organizations are required to collect antemortem data more efficiently without wasting time.

Preliminary Research for Applying Appraisal Techniques to Evaluate the Cause of Skin Injury / 대한법의학회지

In the field of the forensic medicine, deciding the cause of the injury is very important. Forensic doctors usually use their naked eyes, two dimensional photos, the characteristics and the distribution of the wounds for evaluating the cause of the injuries. After body release, forensic doctors not infrequently met the questions from the law enforcement whether the injuries were matched with the new facts or statements given through the progression of the investigation. In the face of answering this question, the information or evidence about the injury is insufficient. New technologies and instruments are being developed and will be helpful for getting the evidence from the human skin injuries. In this preliminary study, authors try to find the usefulness of appraisal techniques(3D scanner, trace evidence, TMDT, alternative light) that are already used for other purposes in forensic field. These techniques have their own merits for preserving the evidences from the injured skin. But further studies and systemic approaches are essential for more scientifically verified evaluation of the cause of the skin injury.

A Case of Natural Death Misinterpreted as Electrocution / 대한법의학회지

When the circumstance of a death seems to be related with electric shock, most of the forensic pathologists tend to diagnose the cause of death as electrocution if they see the electric mark(s) with the notincompatible histology, and find no other definite causes of death at autopsy. But admittedly forensic pathologists know that the so-called electric mark(s) and its histology is not pathognomonic to diagnose electrocution, so the diagnosis should be confirmed by the appropriate investigation of the death scene and the electric devices. We present a case of a man who had a likely current mark that could be diagnosed as natural by ruling out the possibility of electrocution with the examination of the electric lamp which had been under the dead body at the scene. This case gives us the importance of appropriate probe about scene evidences supplied by forensic science in diagnosing and ruling out the electrocution.

Positional Asphyxia of the Paralyzed: Implicated on the View of Death Scene / 대한법의학회지

Positional or postural asphyxia, which is clodely allied to traumatic asphyxia, means a fatal condition causing mechanical interference with pulmonary ventilation resulting from the adoption of particular body positions. To distinguish it from other form of asphyxia may be extremely difficult and therefore we need a full information about death scene and victim's history. The authors had experienced a case of putried corpse who had a history of paraplegia caused by traffic accident several years ago and he was found dead in trapped between bed and opened door of refrigerator. The autopsy finding was negative because of decomposition and toxicology was also negative. We will emphasize on the importance of finding of death scene.