ABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to present the characteristics of medicolegal autopsies of fatal poisonings in Trabzon (Turkey), performed from 1998 to 2008, to contribute to the available data on this topic. A retrospective study of the forensic records and the toxicological data of all autopsies performed over that period revealed that 285 cases (6.34%) of the 4492 total autopsies performed were attributed to fatal poisoning. Major toxic substances were classified in five categories as follows: carbon monoxide (CO), insecticides, prescription medications, narcotic drugs, and alcohol (methyl and ethyl). CO was the most frequent cause of death (63.2%), followed by insecticides (17.2%), prescription medications and narcotic drugs (9.8%), alcohol (7.7%), and others (mushroom, rodenticide, and botulism) (2.1%). Ages of the patients ranged from 1 to 86 years (21.55 ± 36.56).
Subject(s)
Poisoning/mortality , Accidents/mortality , Adolescent , Adult , Age Distribution , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Carbon Monoxide Poisoning/mortality , Central Nervous System Depressants/poisoning , Child , Child, Preschool , Ethanol/poisoning , Female , Forensic Toxicology , Homicide/statistics & numerical data , Humans , Infant , Insecticides/poisoning , Male , Methanol/poisoning , Middle Aged , Narcotics/poisoning , Retrospective Studies , Seasons , Sex Distribution , Solvents/poisoning , Suicide/statistics & numerical data , Turkey/epidemiology , Young AdultABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Identification of corpses is a difficult forensic procedure and it is mandated by laws and social rules. Comparison of ante mortem and post-mortem medical records, such as dental documents, plays an important role in the identification of corpses. However, typical identification methods may be inconclusive, especially when certain extreme post-mortem changes have developed. Gender has long been determined from the skull, the pelvis and the long bones with an epiphysis and a metaphysis in unknown skeletons. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the width, the length and the height of the maxillary sinuses could be used for determination of gender. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The width, the length and the height of the maxillary sinuses were measured in 127 adult patients who were admitted to the Department of Radiology for computed tomography scans of their sinuses. Of 127 patients, 62 (48.8%) were females and 65 (51.2%) were males. The width, the length and the height of the maxillary sinuses were measured in Computerized Tomography scans (Hitachi Radix Turbo computed tomography) when the patients were in prone position without sedation or contrast medium. The data were subjected to a discriminative analysis using the SPSS package program (Version 11.5). RESULTS: The discriminative analysis showed that the accuracy of maxillary sinus measurements-i.e. the ability of the maxillary sinus size to identify gender-was 69.4% in females and 69.2% in males. CONCLUSION: Computerized Tomography measurements of maxillary sinuses may be useful to support gender determination in forensic medicine; however, with a relatively low-accuracy rate (less than 70%).
