Micro-CT features of intermediate gunshot wounds covered by textiles

Abstract

The analysis of gunshot residue (GSR) on the clothing and the underlying skin of the victim may play an important role in the reconstruction of the shooting incident. The aim of the present study was to test micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) for the analysis of firearm wounds experimentally produced on human skin covered by textiles. Firing trials were performed on 60 sections of human calves enveloped by a single layer of fabric (cotton or jeans or leather or nylon) and 15 controls consisting of bare calves. Experimental firings were conducted in a ballistic laboratory at three different muzzle-to-target distances (5, 15, and 30 cm), using a .32 ACP pistol (Beretta Mod. 81) loaded with full-jacketed bullets coming from the same production lot (7.65 × 17 mm, Browning SR). The visual inspection revealed the classic pattern of GSR distribution on the fabrics and the skin of control samples, while only a dark ring around the entrance lesion was identified on the skin beneath the fabrics. Micro-CT analysis showed the presence of radiopaque material on all entrance wounds, with a statistically significant difference between cases and controls. No differences were found among specimens covered by fabrics, with regard to the firing distance and the type of clothing. No GSR-like deposits were detected in exit wounds. Our results suggest that micro-CT analysis may be a useful screening tool for differentiating entry from exit gunshot wounds when the covering textiles are contaminated, damaged, or missing.

The effect of military clothing on gunshot wound patterns in a cadaveric animal limb model

“…When examining the effect of clothing within these models, there is literature which reports on contamination of wounds (e.g. [19, 21–24], though there are only a small number of studies which investigate the effect of clothing on the wounding pattern itself (e.g. [25–29]).…”

The effect of military clothing on gunshot wounding patterns in gelatine

“…Whilst the effects of clothing on GSW have been examined with respect to contamination [e.g. 17 – 21 ], there remains a paucity of literature examining the effect of clothing on the wounding patterns; exceptions include separate works by Kieser, Carr, Mabbott and Mahoney [ 22 – 25 ].…”

“…More recently published was a study that showed the presence of a layer of denim on a model of a deer femur embedded in 20% (by mass) gelatine led to an increase in the risk of indirect femoral fracture when shot by 5.56 NATO ammunition [ 22 ], followed by an increasing interest in examining clothing effects on wounding in ballistic research [e.g. 4 , 20 , 21 , 23 , 44 , 45 ]. Published research has demonstrated that intermediate layers (clothing or other personal protective equipment) can affect damage sustained by a gelatine block during ballistic testing [e.g.…”

Post-mortem computed tomography in forensic shooting distance estimation: a porcine cadaver study

“…However, while there are a number of studies aiming to infer circumstantial factors from wound channel size, the conventional methods mostly build upon bone defects instead of soft tissue, and the conclusions remain imprecise [ 19 ]. As for PMCT, previous studies have focused on gunshot residue instead of wound channel dimensions [ 10 , 20 – 22 ]. Hence, the present study appears to be among the first to utilize PMCT in the association between shooting distance and the dimensions of the wound channel in soft tissue.…”