Pounder Derrick J, Sim Louise J
Centre for Forensic and Legal Medicine, University of Dundee, Dundee, Scotland, UK.
Am J Forensic Med Pathol. 2011 Jun;32(2):97-9. doi: 10.1097/PAF.0b013e3182186f37.
In homicidal stabbings using a serrated knife, stab wounds involving costal cartilage leave striations on the cut surface of the cartilage from the serration points on the blade edge. Class characteristics of the serrated blade can be determined from the striation marks, and individualizing characteristics may be seen also. The traditional method for recording the striation marks involves the pernickety technique of casting with dental impression material. We assessed the potential utility of micro-computed tomography scanning of the stab track as a technique for nondestructive recording of striation patterns and virtual casting of them. Stab tracks in porcine cartilage, produced with a coarsely serrated blade, were scanned with a bench-top micro-computed tomography scanner. The typical irregularly regular striation pattern could be demonstrated, and the images manipulated, using proprietary software to produce a virtual cast. Whether the technology will have sufficient resolution to image not only class characteristic tool marks but also the much finer individualizing tool marks remains to be evaluated, but the technology shows considerable promise.
在使用锯齿刀的杀人刺伤案件中，涉及肋软骨的刺伤会在软骨切面上留下来自刀刃边缘锯齿点的条纹。锯齿状刀刃的类别特征可从条纹痕迹中确定，也可能会看到个体化特征。记录条纹痕迹的传统方法涉及使用牙科印模材料进行精细铸造的技术。我们评估了对刺伤轨迹进行微计算机断层扫描作为一种无损记录条纹图案并进行虚拟铸造的技术的潜在效用。用粗锯齿状刀片在猪软骨上制造的刺伤轨迹，用台式微计算机断层扫描仪进行扫描。典型的不规则规则条纹图案可以被展示出来，并且可以使用专有软件对图像进行处理以生成虚拟铸件。这项技术是否有足够的分辨率不仅能对类别特征工具痕迹成像，还能对更精细的个体化工具痕迹成像，仍有待评估，但这项技术显示出了相当大的前景。
