Indian Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology

Thymomas are rare in children. Most of them are asymptomatic and found incidentally on chest radiographs. In literature there are very few number of deaths reported due to the compressional effect of a Thymoma on the lungs. We present a case of a 14 year old girl, who died suddenly following an acute onset chest pain and dyspnoea. The autopsy revealed a mediastinal mass which encroached upon and compressed the Lungs causing respiratory failure and death. Further, Histopathological examination revealed the mass to be a Thymoma B1 (WHO classification). 

Keywords: Thymoma; Sudden death; Mediastinal mass; Respiratory failure.

Enamel in teeth, as documented is the hardest substance in the entire human body. Tooth prints are the enamel rod end patterns on the tooth surface. Could this fact be a boon in utilizing it for an individual’s identification in the hands of forensic experts? A study has been attempted towards the same. These tooth prints were recorded for sixty extracted tooth specimens after acid etching using a cellophane tape. Subsequently a digital image of the print was obtained which was subjected to biometric conversion using Verifinger standard SDK version 6.0 software followed by the use of Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) software for comparison of the tooth prints. In results we observed that tooth prints were composed of varied patterns and sub patterns. A comparison was made between the tooth prints of different and the same individual and also between different classes of teeth (incisors, canines, premolars and molars). None of the patterns exhibited intra- and inter- individual similarity. Nor did any particular class of the tooth could be preferentially used over the other for an individual identification. This field demands a need for further exploration towards the use of tooth prints for establishing an individual’s identity. 

Keywords: Ename,Tooth prints,Forensic experts. 

Head injuries are the most serious injuries in the term of morbidity and mortality. This study was conducted in Maulana Azad Medical college, New Delhi Mortuary among the 102 post mortem cases of road traffic accident victims over the period of three years from 2008-2011. Objective of this study was to find out pattern of skull fracture in fatal road traffic accident victims. Most common type of fracture was linear fracture of vertex. Parieto-temporal fracture was most common followed by base of the skull. Fracture involving more than one bone was common. 

Keywords: Skull fractures; Linear fractures; Basal fractures; Depressed fractures; Manner of death.

A 45 years old female was brought by the relatives in the casualty with the history that the wall which was under construction suddenly collapsed on her while she was working at her home and then she became unconscious instantly. She was declared brought dead by the casualty medical officer. Panchanama was made by the Investigating police officer and body was sent for the postmortem examination. Details have been discussed in the case reports. 

Keywords: Casualty; Hospital; Panchanama; Post-mortem.

Forensic radiology is a specialized area of medical imaging using radiological techniques so as to help forensic specialists in matters pertaining to law. Radiological techniques have become more sophisticated with the introduction of CT, MRI and ultrasonography (USG). These are widely being applied by forensic experts and require active intervention of Radiologists. Radiographic images are widely used in identification of foreign bodies, child abuse cases, body identification, age estimation, determination of cause of death and injuries. 

Keywords: Forensic radiology; Virtopsy; Identification; Biological age; Necroscopic examination. 

Aim: Head circumference - one of the most significant findings in physical examination and diagnosis of neurological disorders. This parameter is an useful anthropometric tool. Keeping in purview the point that no literature is available regarding Maharashtrian population, this study was undertaken where Head circumference was compared with socio-economic status of 9–12 aged school children. Material and Method: A cross-sectional study including 623 subjects (312 male, 311 female) of 9–12 yrs was undertaken. The study group is further divided into high income group (HIG) and low income group (LIG) for which sardar dasture high school, municipal school no. 7, were taken respectively. Anthropometric measurements of Head circumference subjects who are all normal and healthy children, judged by criteria established by Gill et al, were taken. Results: 1) Values of head circumference is higher in high group as compared to those of low socioeconomic group. 2) It is observed that growth spurt in head circumferences is at a latter date between 11-12 yrs in female in both socio-economic groups, while in males, growth spurt is earlier between 10-11 yrs of age. 3) It is observed that all populations in the world are undergoing temporal changes with reference to body measurement. 4) Mean values have shown a drop towards higher income group in some age cohorts. 5) Growth spurt is revealed through data which clearly shows that HIG children attained such spurts much earlier than those of LIG. Conclusion: With latest trend of globalization, world is coming closer and people are travelling far and wide. Although there exists few studies on adolescent growth, no serious attempts have been made in respect to population. 

Keywords: Head circumference; Cross sectional analysis; Anthropometry; High income group (HIG); Low income group (LIG). 

The cranial capacity of 310 dried crania (155 males and 155 females) was measured using the Breitinger’s mustard seeds technique. The mean cranial capacity for male crania was 1285cc and for female crania it was 1176cc. The sex difference in the mean values of cranial capacity of male and female crania was statistically significant. The knowledge of the cranial capacity is important because it indicates indirectly the brain volume. 

Keywords: Cranial capacity; Breitinger’s; Sex difference.

This was cross sectional study conducted to assess the gestational age by hand length of foeti. This method was used as it is simple and noninvasive. Hand lengths of 126 foeti – (77 live & 49 dead) were included in this study. The results were encouraging and comparable with other similar studies. The hand length (independent variable) is strongly related with the period of gestation. As this method is simple, economical and accurate it can be used by a basic medical doctor and also paramedical even in a rural setup.

Keywords: Gestational age; Hand lenght; Fetus; Infants.
 

Adrenal haemorrhage occurs secondary to both traumatic conditions and atraumatic conditions. Burns accounts for maximum number of cases of traumatic haemorrhages. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of adrenal haemorrhage in non-surviving patients with burns by evaluating the compiled autopsy study data. During the period between 1st july 2009 to 31st june 2011, totally 51 burns cases were autopsied, among them, adrenal haemorrhage was seen in 14 cases, of which 10 cases showed bilateral haemorrhages and 04 cases showed unilateral haemorrhages. Extensive, bilateral adrenal haemorrhages were more commonly seen in males. Acute adrenal insufficiency is an uncommon but devastating complication of severe burn injury. The diagnosis is rarely made ante mortem. The clinical importance of bilateral adrenal haemorrhage is that it may lead to acute adrenal insufficiency and possible death. Therefore, when a sudden deterioration in the patient with thermal injuries is encountered, adrenal insufficiency must be considered. 

Key words: Burns; Adrenal hemorrhage; Septicemic shock