Posttraumatic Parinaud’s syndrome as a contrecoup injury in a case of closed head trauma

The purpose of the study was to present a rare case of post-traumatic Parinaud’s syndrome with a history of closed head injury. The clinical characteristics, examination, and management are presented in a 12-year-old boy who was a victim of physical violence at the hands of a young boy who punched him in his chin with his fists, with associated paralysis of the upward gaze of the left eyeball, and convergence nystagmus with pupillary involvement. CT examination indicated posttraumatic lesions in the dorsal midbrain and in the cavity of third ventricle, suggestive of acute hemorrhages. Posttraumatic Parinaud’s syndrome is a rare phenomenon that can occur in a case of closed head trauma as contrecoup injury

Elderly abuse – a forensic case of homicide-suicide as act of intimate partner violence

Homicide-suicide as a criminal act is a distinct subcategory of homicide in which the assailant kills his wife and/or her children in a relationship that has been broken down. The present case is about the dyadic deaths of an 89-year-old male and an 82-year-old female who are in a relationship as intimate partners (as husband and wife). In the early autumn of 2020, an event report was received in the Police District of Plovdiv about a woman who was found dead in her home. Her husband’s body was found next to hers in the same building, with the clinical features of a coma – the man was breathing but unresponsive. Unfortunately, he passed away immediately before the arrival of the emergency crew. The elderly are one of the most vulnerable subgroups of intimate partner violence victims, largely because of their growing social isolation, lack of social support, and reliance on family members and caregivers. The aforementioned renders these individuals helpless to fend off the attack and, in some cases, unable to report it. If we want to prevent this type of violence, we have to understand the risk factors and be able to differentiate between accidental injuries and injuries due to any form of elderly abuse

Assessment of traumatic leptomeningeal cyst in forensic anthropology – A case report

Paleopathology is a very extensive subject. Sometimes some pathological changes of bones may mimic trauma. This paper demonstrates a rare complication of cranial fractures which may be mistaken with gunshot injury in skeletonized remains

Child abuse syndrome – a forensic case of fatal impulsive act of violence

Child abuse syndrome is a medico-social problem widely spread around the world, which includes a complex of clinically manifested forms of violence against children. This syndrome includes different forms of physical violence, sexual violence, neglect, and emotional violence against children. The main problem with this type of violence continues to be the large number of unregistered “hidden” cases. The consequences of violence against children are serious and have a lasting negative effect on the physical and mental health of the victims. Child abuse is often a result of impulsive violent behavior with minimal provocation and may have a fatal outcome. We present a case of a 3-year-old boy, admitted to the Emergency Department of the Municipal Hospital in Asenovgrad, Bulgaria, in a state of biological death. Case circumstances during the police investigation were unclear and the body was transported for forensic examination. During the forensic autopsy, many traumatic injuries were observed over the whole body – bruises of different ages, fractures of bones, abdominal trauma with bucket-handle tear of the mesentery, thoracic trauma with contusions and ruptures of the lungs, rupture of the diaphragm, and many other injuries that are specific predictors for this type of child physical abuse. The main aim of the present report is to enrich the knowledge of medical workers in their routine practical work in the identification and determination of child abuse syndrome. It could prevent the fatal outcome and reduce the mortality from this specific type of violence