Villa Chiara, Larsen Sara, Zink Albert, Lynnerup Niels
Department of Forensic Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Institute for Mummy Studies, EURAC, Bolzano, Italy.
Int J Legal Med. 2025 May 21. doi: 10.1007/s00414-025-03510-5.
The cause of death of Ötzi the Iceman has been the subject of extensive investigation. A deep wound on his left shoulder and an arrowhead lodged between his rib cage and left scapula have been central to determining his final moments. While initial CT analyses concluded that exsanguination due to a lacerated left subclavian artery was the cause of death, recent research has suggested that the injury might not have been immediately fatal. This study re-analyzed the 2013 CT scans using a forensic approach to assess the shoulder injury in greater detail, by creating 3D models of the affected anatomical structures and calculating relevant tissue volumes. Additionally, forensic animation techniques were applied to reconstruct Ötzi's likely posture at the moment of impact. A previously unidentified hematoma with an approximate volume of 110 mL was observed, suggesting that death from blood loss alone may not have been immediate, although external hemorrhage cannot be excluded. Furthermore, forensic animation demonstrated that a straight trajectory of the arrow aligns with both the scapular lesion and arterial laceration, providing new insights into the injury mechanism. These results underscore the value of 3D segmentation and modeling in forensic pathology, offering enhanced reconstructions of traumatic events in both contemporary and archaeological contexts.
冰人奥茨的死因一直是广泛研究的主题。他左肩上的一处重伤以及卡在其胸腔与左肩胛骨之间的一枚箭头，对于确定他生命的最后时刻至关重要。虽然最初的CT分析得出结论，左锁骨下动脉撕裂导致的失血是死因，但最近的研究表明，该损伤可能并非立即致命。本研究采用法医方法对2013年的CT扫描进行重新分析，通过创建受影响解剖结构的3D模型并计算相关组织体积，更详细地评估肩部损伤。此外，还应用法医动画技术重建奥茨在撞击瞬间可能的姿势。观察到一个此前未被识别的血肿，体积约为110毫升，这表明仅失血可能并非立即导致死亡，尽管不能排除外部出血。此外，法医动画显示箭头的直线轨迹与肩胛骨损伤和动脉撕裂相符，为损伤机制提供了新的见解。这些结果强调了3D分割和建模在法医病理学中的价值，为当代和考古背景下的创伤事件提供了更精确的重建。
