Keywords
forensic report
traffic accident
forensic medicine
firearm injuries
fracture score
How to Cite
Abstract
Objective: Trauma resulting in skull fractures requires careful evaluation in terms of origin and characteristics due to its significant clinical and legal consequences. This study evaluates the overall pattern and characteristics of skull fractures by analyzing demographic data of forensic cases with skull fractures, fracture localization and characteristics, and accompanying clinical findings.
Methods: The study included cases with skull fractures who presented to the Department of Forensic Medicine at Eskişehir Osmangazi University Medical Faculty over a two-year period (01.01.2024–31.12.2025). Age, sex, cause and manner of the injury, fractured bone, fracture type, accompanying findings, and the forensic report results were retrospectively reviewed.
Results: Of the cases, 76 (73.8%) were male and 27 (26.2%) were female, with a mean age of 40 ± 7.3 years. Skull fractures were most frequently linear (55.3%) and isolated frontal bone fractures (34.9%) and were caused by traffic accidents (55.3%). Life-threatening injury was present in nearly all cases (99%). The fracture was accompanied by intracranial hemorrhage in 71.8%, brain tissue damage in 25.2%, and internal organ injury/internal bleeding in 18.4%.
Conclusion: The characteristics of skull fractures occurring in forensic cases are important for the development of preventive policies. In our study, skull fractures were most frequently observed in young adult males, commonly resulting from traffic accidents, and typically presented as linear fractures of the frontal bone. Furthermore, trauma of sufficient severity to cause skull fractures was found to have the potential to produce damage not only to the brain but also to extracranial internal organs...
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