Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Strathclyde, Wolfson Centre, 106 Rottenrow, Glasgow G4 0NW, United Kingdom.
Centre for Anatomy and Human Identification, University of Dundee, Dundee, United Kingdom.
Forensic Sci Int. 2019 Dec;305:109998. doi: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2019.109998. Epub 2019 Oct 22.
Bruising is an injury commonly observed within suspect cases of assault or abuse, yet how a blunt impact initiates bruising and influences its severity is not fully understood. Furthermore, the standard method of documenting a bruise with colour photography is known to have limitations which influence the already subjective analysis of a bruise. This research investigated bruising using a standardised blunt impact, delivered to 18 volunteers. The resulting bruise was imaged using colour, cross polarised (CP) and infrared photography. Timelines of the Lab* colour space were determined from both colour and CP images for up to 3 weeks. Overall, no single photographic technique out-performed the others, however CP did provide greater contrast than colour photography. Lab* colour space timelines were not attributable any physiological characteristics. Whilst impact force negatively correlated with BMI (R = 0.321), neither were associated with any measure of bruise appearance. Due to the inter-subject variability in the bruise response to a controlled infliction, none of the methods in the current study could be used to reliably predict the age of a bruise or the severity of force used in creating a bruise. A more comprehensive approach combining impact characteristics, tissue mechanics, enhanced localised physiological measures and improvements in quantifying bruise appearance is likely to be essential in removing subjectivity from their interpretation.
瘀伤是常见于疑似攻击或虐待案件中的损伤，但钝器冲击如何引发瘀伤以及影响其严重程度尚不完全清楚。此外，用彩色摄影记录瘀伤的标准方法已知存在局限性，这会影响对瘀伤的已经主观的分析。这项研究使用标准化的钝器冲击对 18 名志愿者进行了瘀伤研究。使用彩色、交叉偏光（CP）和红外线摄影对产生的瘀伤进行成像。从彩色和 CP 图像确定了 Lab色彩空间的时间线，最长可达 3 周。总体而言，没有一种摄影技术表现优于其他技术，但 CP 确实比彩色摄影提供了更大的对比度。Lab色彩空间时间线与任何生理特征都没有关系。虽然冲击力量与 BMI 呈负相关（R = 0.321），但与任何衡量瘀伤外观的方法都没有关系。由于在对受控损伤的反应中存在个体间的变异性，当前研究中的任何方法都无法可靠地预测瘀伤的年龄或造成瘀伤的力量的严重程度。一种更全面的方法，结合冲击特性、组织力学、增强的局部生理测量以及提高瘀伤外观的定量方法，可能对于消除对其解释的主观性至关重要。
