Cuman Oriana, Toselli Federico, Viel Guido, Fais Paolo, Sech Maria, Giraudo Chiara, Bertelli Francesco, Vida Vladimiro, Cecchetto Giovanni
Legal Medicine and Toxicology, Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Vascular Sciences and Public Health, University of Padova, Via G. Falloppio 50, 35121 Padova, Italy.
Legal Medicine and Toxicology, Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Vascular Sciences and Public Health, University of Padova, Via G. Falloppio 50, 35121 Padova, Italy.
Leg Med (Tokyo). 2025 Jul;76:102661. doi: 10.1016/j.legalmed.2025.102661. Epub 2025 Jun 22.
Stab injuries involving the vertebral region are rare and pose significant challenges during forensic autopsy due to the complexity of the surrounding anatomical structures. Radiological techniques, such as post-mortem computed tomography (PMCT) or micro-CT, have shown great potential for detecting and detailing sharp bone lesions. We herein present a fatal case of homicidal stab wound involving the left vertebral artery and the homolateral surface of the axis. PMCT identified a fracture of the left lateral mass of the axis (C2), and micro-CT revealed a cortical discontinuity of the left transverse process of C2, nearly separating the transverse process from the body of the axis. Based on micro-CT data, a 3D model of the first three cervical vertebrae was printed in a clear material on a Formlabs Form 3L printer, and a fit-matching analysis was conducted with two potential weapons. The billhook seized by the Police demonstrated a precise fit with the fracture pattern when its handle was positioned posteriorly, and the tip penetrated laterally in a left-to-right trajectory. In conclusion, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of vertebral stab wound analysis using a combined micro-CT and 3D printing approach. Although 3D printing is not yet a fully validated forensic method, and further research is needed for identifying any potential errors occurring during production, segmentation, stereolithography data generation, and post-processing, this report highlights the high potentiality of micro-radiology and 3D printing as promising tools for the morphometric analysis of vertebral injuries.
涉及脊柱区域的刺伤很少见，由于周围解剖结构复杂，在法医尸检过程中带来了重大挑战。放射学技术，如死后计算机断层扫描（PMCT）或显微CT，在检测和详细描述尖锐骨损伤方面显示出巨大潜力。我们在此报告一例涉及左椎动脉和枢椎同侧表面的致命刺伤案件。PMCT发现枢椎（C2）左侧块骨折，显微CT显示C2左侧横突皮质连续性中断，横突几乎与枢椎体分离。基于显微CT数据，在Formlabs Form 3L打印机上用透明材料打印了前三节颈椎的三维模型，并对两种潜在凶器进行了拟合分析。警方查获的镰刀，当手柄位于后方且尖端以从左到右的轨迹横向刺入时，与骨折模式精确匹配。总之，据我们所知，这是首次使用显微CT和三维打印相结合的方法对脊柱刺伤进行分析的报告。尽管三维打印尚未成为一种完全经过验证的法医方法，并且在识别生产、分割、立体光刻数据生成和后处理过程中出现的任何潜在误差方面还需要进一步研究，但本报告强调了微放射学和三维打印作为脊柱损伤形态计量分析有前途工具的巨大潜力。
