CT and MRI of a transcardiac gunshot wound with an annular distribution of bullet fragments surrounding an exit-re-entrance wound after the bullet burst from a floor tile upon exiting the lying body

Gascho, Dominic; Bolliger, Stephan A; Thali, Michael J

doi:10.1016/j.jflm.2020.102087

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Gascho, D., Bolliger, S. A., & Thali, M. J. (2021). CT and MRI of a transcardiac gunshot wound with an annular distribution of bullet fragments surrounding an exit-re-entrance wound after the bullet burst from a floor tile upon exiting the lying body. Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine, 77, 102087. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jflm.2020.102087

Abstract

This case report describes medicolegal examinations of a decedent with a fatal gunshot wound. The decedent lied on the floor as a bullet was fired into his chest. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were performed as part of the judicial investigation. The MRI examination was valuable for delineating the wound channel through the left ventricle, which was deemed the main cause for internal bleeding and fatal blood loss. The diagnostic value of CT for the detection of injuries was low in this case. However, CT