Hypopharyngeal Perforation Associated with Traffic Accident / 대한법의학회지

Hypopharyngeal perforation associated with traffic accident is a rare occurrence, which can cause serious morbidity and mortality if not diagnosed and treated early. We report an autopsy case of hypopharyngeal perforation following a traffic accident. A 32-year-old man hits his chin when his car hits highway guardrail. He complained continuous neck pain and died 5 days after the accident. Autopsy was performed, and death was due to undiagnosed retropharyngeal abscess with sepsis.

Colorectal Trauma by Compressed Air / 대한법의학회지

A seaman died after a jet of compressed air directed to his anus while working with his colleagues in deck of the ship. He suffered from abdominal pain and distension, and died 5 hours later in the ship. Autopsy was performed and revealed rupture of the splenic flexure of the colon and partial seromuscular tearing in the rectosigmoidal region. We concluded that the cause of death was tension pneumoperitoneum by the pneumatic colonic rupture. The need for education of the workers handling compressed air appliances is emphasized.

Sudden Deaths During Endoscopic Thoracoscopic Sympathicotomy / 대한법의학회지

Endoscopic thoracoscopic sympathicotomy (ETS) for treatment of hyperhidrosis is usually considered as a simple and safe procedure. The complication of ETS is low and no death following ETS has ever been reported in the literature without anecdotal fatal cases. Recently, we experienced two cases of intraoperative cardiac arrest and death. Two patients are suffered from sudden cardiac arrest after transection of the left sympathetic nerve trunk by the thoracoscopic method. Vigorous cardiopulmonary resuscitations were performed but both patients are not recovered. Autopsy examinations are performed and there are no remarkable pathology.

A Medicolegal Study of Ear Lengths in the Forensic Autopsy Cases / 대한법의학회지

Authors measured the length of the auricle of both sides, and the length of face to know the medicolegal significance of them in 265 medicolegal autopsy cases. The data were analyzed by anthropometric study method to gain the ear-face height index (auricular length x 100/facial length). The results were as follows: 1. The relationship between the ear-face height indices of the length of life is statistically significant (r=0.34; p<0.001). 2. The relationship between the ear-face height indices of the length of life is higher than in females than males (males: r=0.28, females: r=0.51). 3. In the natural deaths and homicide cases, the relationship between the ear-face height indices of the length of life is higher than the accidental deaths and suicide cases, however, the natural death cases only show statistically significant relationship between the ear-face height indices of the length of life (p<0.05).

Delayed Rupture of the Carotid artery After Automobile Accident: An Autopsy Case / 대한법의학회지

Carotid artery dissection and rupture is rare fatal complication of blunt head and neck trauma. The authors report on a case in which a fatal delayed rupture of the carotid artery developed in a 53-yearold man after motorcycle accident resulting in fracture of right leg but no apparent head and neck injuries. The patient initially did well. 7 days after the motor vehicle accident, he suffered rapid swelling of the neck, dyspnea, and fall into loss of consciousness. The patient died and autopsy revealed dissection and rupture of the common carotid artery.

Traumatic Carotid Artery Thrombosis: An autopsy case / 대한법의학회지

Cerebral infarction caused by Carotid injury after blunt trauma to the head and neck is rare, but these injuries have high mortality. Recently we experienced a case of carotid artery occlusion probably related to the traffic accident. A 38-year-old man was motorcycling and was struck on the front of his motorcycle by a car. He sustained rib fractures and sprain of the neck, but there was no disturbance of consciousness or paresis of extremities. 16 days later, he developed right hemiparesis. CT scan revealed infarction in the distribution of the left middle cerebral artery territories, angiography revealed total thrombotic occlusion of the left internal carotid artery just distal to the bifurcation. He died 21 days after the accident, and the postmortem exam findings were concordant with clinical findings.

Dismembered Corpse : medicolegal implications / 대한법의학회지

Disposal of a homicide victim by dismemberment is rare, but individual cases are on record in most major medicolegal departments. Recognition of postmortem mutilation may be of importance in the interpretation of certain murders committed by sexual perverts and other mentally deranged individuals and sometimes performed for the sole reason of easier disposal of the body. Postmortem dismemberment is usually readily recognizable as such; The edges of the injuries are dry and lack evidence of bleeding. The joints may be disarticulated without fracture, or the use of an axe or saw may be evident from examination of bones. Parallel horizontal or oblique furrows in the bone surface are caused by skipping of the saw prior to establishing depth. Such patterns on the bone may assist in identifying the particular saw involved. So we report 25 dismembered corpses that autopsied in National Institute of Scientific Investigation. This paper can help in attempting to establish not only the first criminal investigation steps but also the medicolegal approach methods in unidentified and dismembered deaths.

Transmesenteric Hernia: An autopsy case / 대한법의학회지

Transmesenteric hernias through congenital mesenteric defects are the least common of intra-abdominal hernias and rare causes of acute intestinal obstruction in infants and children. Because of its rarity and difficulty of diagnosis, the mortality and morbidity were very high, and incarceration leads to intestinal obstruction and subsequently, strangulation and gangrene of varying lengths of intestine. We present an autopsy case of transmesenteric hernia through the defect of the mesentery of ileum, showing strangulationand obstruction of the affected small bowel.

Dissecting Aneurysm of Intracranial Vertebral Artery: Report of Two Autopsy Cases / 대한법의학회지

Two autopsied cases of dissecting aneurysms of intracranial vertebral artery are reported and the appropriate literature is reviewed to investigate the pathological characteristics and pathogenesis. The location and pathological features of the aneurysms are similar in the two cases. The aneurysms in both cases are confined to the intracranial vertebral artery and massive subarachnoid hemorrhage in basal cistern develop caused by the rupture of the arterial wall. And the aneurysms show mainly subadventitial dissection and display intimal thickening, disruption of internal elastic lamina, and degeneration of the media. Based on their pathological investigation of these two cases and a review of reported cases, the authors propose that weakness of internal elastic lamina may be responsible for initiating dissection in susceptible individuals and hypertention is one of contributing factors that result in weakness of internal elastic lamina.