We report a patient with megacolon associated with TcVI infective lineage form of T. cruzi. Although this megacolon was considered idiopathic, Chagas disease was suspected and diagnosed because of the concomitant cardiovascular involvement. Based on this case, we discuss the suitability of Chagas diagnosis in patients with tract motility involvement.

Many factors are used to help distinguish firearm suicides from homicides and accidents, including range of fire, location of entrance defects, wound path trajectory, backspatter (blowback), and gunshot residue. Specifically, authors have discussed examination of the hands for backspatter, gunshot residue, cylinder gap effects, iron staining, and trauma as means ...

In this article, a case of sudden and unexpected death of a homeless 45-year-old woman is described. The woman suddenly died following sexual intercourse. When her partner described the circumstances surrounding her death, he reported that it was about 1:00 PM and they were on the beach lying under a ...

We describe a case of multiorgan dysfunction secondary to Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense infection acquired on safari in Zambia. This case was one of several recently reported to ProMED-mail in persons who had traveled to this region. Trypanosomiasis remains rare in travelers but should be considered in febrile patients who have ...

Objectives:  To examine the usefulness of sonographic criteria in the assessment of the lateral extent and depth of myometrial involvement in morbidly adherent placenta. Methods:  From hospital records and a perinatal database, women with morbidly adherent placenta confirmed at delivery and antenatal ultrasound assessment in 2004-2007 were identified. The sonographic ...

Background: We describe the first reported case of uterine perforation by a cystoperitoneal shunt. The mechanism of this unusual complication is unclear. Case: A 17-year-old patient had a cystoperitoneal shunt for a porencephalic cyst. She presented with recurrent watery vaginal discharge. A pelvic ultrasound examination showed that the uterus had ...

ABSTRACT: Based on autopsy data collected in Southern China from 2001-2006, 975 cases of sudden unexplained nocturnal death syndrome (SUNDS) were surveyed. Genetic screening of SCN5A gene encoding the voltage dependent cardiac sodium channel was performed in 74 SUNDS cases. The annual occurrence rate of SUNDS in the area was ...

ABSTRACT: The authors describe the case of a suicide with a shotgun charged with 9 caliber Flobert cartridge, that, if shot at a distance, generally does not cause mortal wounds. In the case in re, on the contrary, the mortal gunshot had been discharged in contact with the roof of ...

ABSTRACT: INTRODUCTION: The discovery of a mature teratoma (dermoid cyst) of the ovary during ovarian stimulation is not a rare event. Conversely, we could not find any reported cases of immature teratoma in such a situation. Clinical and ultrasound arguments for this immature form are scarcely or poorly evaluated. Case ...

PURPOSE: Precise localization of the cervicothoracic vertebral levels is essential for accurate placement of epidural catheters. Previous studies have demonstrated that anesthesiologists are inaccurate when using surface anatomy to locate lumbar vertebral levels. Our study was designed to determine the agreement between anatomical landmarks and the ultrasound technique in identifying ...

OBJECTIVE: To study the clinical outcome after a gap of 2 years, among adolescent girls with confirmed menstrual irregularity and with or without ultrasound diagnosed polycystic ovaries. METHODS: 136 adolescent girls from a cohort of 301 girls between 15 and 17 years of age with confirmed menstrual irregularity, with or without ultrasound ...

BACKGROUND: The blind free-hand technique for external ventricular drain (EVD) placement sometimes requires multiple attempts, and catheter location is often less than ideal. Our institution has adapted an intraoperative ultrasound-guided ventriculostomy technique for the placement of EVDs at the bedside. Our experience with ultrasound at the bedside has proven to ...

Ovarian cancer is a rare event to be diagnosed during assisted reproduction. There have been several case-control and cohort studies that describe its incidence within the infertile population well after the assisted reproductive process. We present a case of endometrioid adenocarcinoma that developed during the ovarian stimulation process and show ...

Scuba diving fatalities are rare and sometimes extremely difficult to explain. A thorough forensic investigation, conducted by a qualified team, helps avoid possible later questions and doubts, family concerns and judicial matters, since a significant body of evidence is lost after the body of the victim is buried or the ...

Smothering is defined as an obstruction of the air passages above the level of the epiglottis, including the nose, mouth, and pharynx. This is in contrast to choking, which is considered to be due to an obstruction of the air passages below the epiglottis. The manner of death in smothering ...

OBJECTIVE: To present a case of unilateral tubal and ovarian absence, along with laparoscopic images. DESIGN: Case report. SETTING: University hospital. PATIENT(S): A 21-year-old patient presented with primary infertility of 3 years' duration. Left adnexal structures were not visualized on transvaginal ultrasound and hysterosalpingography. INTERVENTION(S): Diagnostic laparoscopy and hysteroscopy. MAIN ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Soft tissue foreign bodies are a common cause of orthopedic consultation in emergency departments. It is difficult to confirm their existence because conventional radiology only detects radio-opaque foreign bodies. Sonography can be a useful diagnostic method. The aim of this study is to evaluate diagnostic accuracy of sonography ...

A brain death case is presented and reinterpreted using the narrative approach. In the case, two Japanese parents face a dilemma about whether to respect their daughter's desire to donate organs even though, for them, it would mean literally killing their daughter. We argue that the ethical dilemma occurred because ...

Schistosomiasis mansoni is a fibrogenic liver disease that constitutes a major health problem in north-eastern Brazil. Although one common manifestation of the disease, periportal fibrosis (PPF), can be assessed by ultrasonography by well-trained physicians, the necessary equipment and personnel are not always readily available. Serum markers, including hyaluronic acid (HA), ...

Bariatric surgery has become a common therapeutic approach for severe obesity, in case of unsuccessful behavioural and/or medical interventions. During the past years, the number of obese women who underwent bariatric surgery in childbearing age has progressively increased. We report a case of vitamin K deficiency, due to maternal biliopancreatic ...

One of the classic mistakes in forensic pathology is to regard the autopsy of decomposed body as unrewarding. The present study was undertaken with a view to debunk this myth and to determine the characteristic pattern in decomposed bodies brought for medicolegal autopsy. From a total of 4997 medicolegal deaths ...

BACKGROUND: Uterine leiomyomas are rarely seen in adolescent and to date nine leiomyoma cases have been reported under age 17. Eight of these have been treated surgically via laparotomic myomectomy. CASE: A 16-year-old girl presented with a painless, lobulated necrotic mass protruding through the introitus. The mass originated from posterior ...

We report a very uncommon uterine anomaly consisting on a normal uterus, a double cervix with an anteroposterior disposition, and absence of vaginal septum. A 36-years-old woman with one child and absence of past reproductive disorders was examined for a routine checkup. Clinical and transvaginal ultrasound examinations showed a normal ...

Though typically involving the lower extremities, elephantiasis nostras verrucosa (ENV) can occur in any area affected by lymphedema. Here we report two cases of ENV: one is a biopsy-proven case and the other is a clinically diagnosed case. Both occurred on the buttocks and sacrum of immobile, morbidly obese men ...

Abdominoscrotal hydrocele consists of two large sacs; the abdominal and scrotal, both are connected via the inguinal canal. The diagnosis is made by clinical examination and can be confirmed with ultrasound scan. Surgical treatment is considered mandatory since spontaneous resolution is extremely rare. Herein, we report a case of giant ...

In forensic practice, it is required to distinguish between suicidal or accidental hanging and simulated hanging. Conventional macroscopic and histological findings may be unreliable; vital signs are often absent, and they can be produced postmortem. The application of immunohistochemical techniques opened up a new field of investigation in the issue ...

A careful analysis of circumstances and investigations of death scene are required before commenting on the manner of death in a case of hanging. Hanging may result from either complete or incomplete suspension of the body. Two cases of hanging are reported where discrimination in eyewitness's account and death scene ...

Homicide followed by the suicide of the offender is a well-known phenomenon. In most cases, it takes place in the context of the so-called "family tragedies." A recent series of such family tragedies in Switzerland prompted an intensive debate in the media and the Swiss government concerning the Swiss Weapon ...

Deaths involving sensory deprivation tanks are very rare. We describe a unique case in which a previously healthy 50-year-old woman apparently died while floating in a sensory deprivation tank at her residence. Autopsy failed to reveal definitive anatomical abnormalities pointing to the cause of death. A thorough scene investigation, full ...

Acanthosis nigricans is prevalent in the general population and is the most common dermatological manifestation of obesity. It is typically observed in the flexural areas such as the neck, axillae, and groin. Herein we report an interesting case of extensive acanthosis nigricans involving the neck, axillae, groin, and, uncommonly, the ...

Amniotic fluid embolism (AFE) is a sporadic, unpredictable, and usual fatal obstetric complication. The paper deals with two cases of maternal deaths because of AFE verified by medicolegal autopsy. In both the cases, several known risk factors associated with AFE, such as increased maternal age (41 and 35 years), diabetes, augmented ...

Spray cleaner is a cleaning product containing compressed 1,1-difluoroethane (HFC-152a) to blow dust off electric devices and other sensitive equipment; however, it is also inhaled to induce euphoria. This report describes three cases of death involving HFC-152a inhalation with spray cleaner under different circumstances. In case 1, death was during ...

Central nervous system (CNS) vascular malformations are well-known entities that may cause sudden death from rupture and intracranial hemorrhage. Despite this, relatively few papers deal with these lesions in the forensic literature. Here, we present four cases of sudden, non-traumatic death caused by ruptured CNS vascular malformations. In all four ...

Sudden death in adults from presumably natural causes occurs more frequently than is commonly thought. Numerically they constitute a significant fraction of the total mortality of which central nervous system causes account for 15 percent of the cases. The neoplasms of neuroepithelial origin account for 3 percent of these cases. ...

Homicide where a perpetrator is found dead adjacent to the victim usually represents murder-suicide. Two incidents are reported to demonstrate characteristic features in one, and alternative features in the other, that indicate differences in the manner of death. (i) A 37-year-old mother was found dead in a burnt out house ...

Corpses found in wells or lime pits must be identified and the cause and manner of death must be determined. There are several circumstances that may lead to the presence of corpses in wells. In this study, 3940 death examinations and autopsies, performed at the Konya Branch of Forensic Medicine ...

We present a case of sudden death of a 7-year-old boy who at autopsy was found to have an undiagnosed glioblastoma. The boy was asymptomatic until 2 hours before death complaining of a headache and was later found unresponsive in bed. A medicolegal autopsy was notable for a large hemorrhagic ...

Foreign body ingestion is a common problem in pediatric age. Foreign bodies in the lumen of appendix is a well known event. In this condition perforation or appendicitis may occur even for blunt or sharp objects. For these reasons, in case of stasis of foreign body in the lumen of ...

The rate of diagnostic error has not declined over the last 30 years despite the improvement in diagnosis methods. Today, the probability to encounter a major diagnostic change in autopsy is still high. The special autopsy that provides clinicians the necessary feedback is performed seldom in our country. This study ...

Unilateral dysmenorrhea in an adolescent may be associated with uterine malformation. Relevant investigations in suspected cases and timely intervention can prevent future complications in such cases. Here, we present a case of unicornuate uterus with rudimentary horn in an adolescent complaining of unilateral dysmenorrhea.

A number of questions must be asked before asthma can be accepted as a valid diagnosis: were the episodes of shortness of breath investigated? Are there changes at autopsy in keeping with asthma? Did asthma either contribute to the terminal episode, cause death, or was it coincidental? Finally, is it ...

We report here a sudden death case of a patient previously diagnosed as Marfan syndrome (MFS). The victim was dead on the wheel and the cause of death was diagnosed to be a rupture of the thoracic aorta by autopsy findings. MFS is an autosomal dominant disorder of the connective ...

To highlight some problems that may occur when investigating clozapine-associated deaths including (i) that death may be related to gastrointestinal hypomotility and (ii) that post-mortem blood clozapine and norclozapine concentrations may not reflect ante-mortem concentrations. A 41-year-old male died 40min after admission to hospital as a result of aspiration complicating ...

To date, entomology has not been used in legal investigations in Kuwait. Indeed, this is true of most Arab countries in the Middle East. There are no known studies on necrophagous species in the region, nor any knowledge of cadaver succession with which to compare case material. Here we report ...

Abstract Morbidity and mortality associated with human West Nile virus (WNV) infection is generally attributable to severe neurologic disease; most illness with WNV, however, is characterized by febrile illness. Although generally considered to be a benign, self-limited syndrome, some cases of West Nile Fever (WNF) have been reported as resulting ...

We examined birth-related malpractice civil litigation cases in Japan to clarify the actual status related to the implementation of an obstetrical no-fault compensation system in 2009. In this retrospective review, we analyzed legal and medical information from 64 cases with a delivery date after 1987 and a judgment date between ...

For severe, critical and fatal cases of 2009 H1N1 influenza in the winter in the Northern Hemisphere, the detailed features are not fully known. The aim of this study was to examine these features through describing these cases in Beijing, China in 2009. Data on severe, critical and fatal cases ...

Venous haemorrhage is a rare complication of varicose veins of the legs. Varicosis is found in 15-50% of the population. Haemorrhage from ruptured varicose veins of the legs can occur spontaneously or after a minor trauma. More frequent complications of varicosis include peripheral oedema of the ankles, skin pigmentation and ...

INTRODUCTION: Ischaemic heart disease is the leading cause of death in industrialised countries. Sudden death accounts for approximately 2/3 of autopsies in forensic medicine, which is why the accurate diagnosis of IHD and first of all acute myocardial ischaemia is so important. On certain occasions in forensic medical practice it ...

In this retrospective analysis, all patients (n=714; male=590; female=124 and female male ratio = 1: 4.76) came to Pulsar, a sleep laboratory of Kolkata, for polysomnography during ten years period were analyzed. More than half (62.46%) cases were between 41-60 years and 14.43% cases between 61-80 years age group. Fifty-two ...