Sharp Trauma

Sharp trauma is an important part of the routine work of the forensic pathologist. Depending on the weapon used, the wounds can present the characteristics of lesions induced by a cutting or a stabbing object or a combination of both of them. Cutting wounds are mostly superficial and stabbing wounds are deeper. Forensic imaging is an important tool to evaluate the wound extent and permits in a lot of cases depending on the wound characteristics to define the trajectory, the depth, and the angle of the wound path. Moreover, it permits to measure the distance between the wound path and vital structures in order to determine the dangerousness of the inflicted lesion. The most suitable imaging modalities are MDCT and MDCT-angiography. MRI and conventional X-ray can be useful in some cases but are not the techniques of choice. In this chapter, we will describe the advantages and disadvantages of these imaging techniques and how to interpret them the right way. This will be illustrated by several examples.