Homicide or suicide? Xylophagia: a possible explanation for extraordinary autopsy findings
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Homicide or suicide? Xylophagia: a possible explanation for extraordinary autopsy findings. / Klein, Anke; Schröder, Carolin; Heinemann, Axel; Püschel, Klaus.
in: FORENSIC SCI MED PAT, Jahrgang 10, Nr. 3, 01.09.2014, S. 437-42.Publikationen: SCORING: Beitrag in Fachzeitschrift/Zeitung › SCORING: Zeitschriftenaufsatz › Forschung › Begutachtung
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Homicide or suicide? Xylophagia: a possible explanation for extraordinary autopsy findings
AU - Klein, Anke
AU - Schröder, Carolin
AU - Heinemann, Axel
AU - Püschel, Klaus
PY - 2014/9/1
Y1 - 2014/9/1
N2 - Determining the cause of death and differentiating self-inflicted injuries from non-self-inflicted injuries is a primary goal in legal medicine. Especially with unidentified decedents, autopsy findings alone are often not sufficient; there is no knowledge of pre-existing conditions and only circumstantial evidence is available from the scene of death. In our case, radiological, histological, and toxicological examinations provided an explanatory model for extraordinary autopsy findings consistent with pica, a rare eating disorder. In cases of pica, variable and potentially lethal complications emerge, depending on the type and amount of material ingested. Our case is of an apparently uncontrolled intake of wooden objects (xylophagia). The resulting mechanical damage to the gastrointestinal tract and subsequent soft tissue damage supports that this behavioral disorder is not only of medical concern, but also identifies it as a mental disease with medico-legal relevance.
AB - Determining the cause of death and differentiating self-inflicted injuries from non-self-inflicted injuries is a primary goal in legal medicine. Especially with unidentified decedents, autopsy findings alone are often not sufficient; there is no knowledge of pre-existing conditions and only circumstantial evidence is available from the scene of death. In our case, radiological, histological, and toxicological examinations provided an explanatory model for extraordinary autopsy findings consistent with pica, a rare eating disorder. In cases of pica, variable and potentially lethal complications emerge, depending on the type and amount of material ingested. Our case is of an apparently uncontrolled intake of wooden objects (xylophagia). The resulting mechanical damage to the gastrointestinal tract and subsequent soft tissue damage supports that this behavioral disorder is not only of medical concern, but also identifies it as a mental disease with medico-legal relevance.
KW - Autopsy
KW - Biopsy
KW - Cause of Death
KW - Fatal Outcome
KW - Foreign Bodies
KW - Homicide
KW - Humans
KW - Male
KW - Pica
KW - Predictive Value of Tests
KW - Risk Factors
KW - Suicide
KW - Tomography, X-Ray Computed
KW - Wood
KW - Wounds and Injuries
U2 - 10.1007/s12024-014-9554-7
DO - 10.1007/s12024-014-9554-7
M3 - SCORING: Journal article
C2 - 24729065
VL - 10
SP - 437
EP - 442
JO - FORENSIC SCI MED PAT
JF - FORENSIC SCI MED PAT
SN - 1547-769X
IS - 3
ER -