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A Wormian Bone, Mimicking an Entry Gunshot Wound of the Skull, in an Anthropological Specimen
Author(s) -
Machado Marcos Paulo Salles,
Simões Márcia Pereira,
Gamba Thiago de Oliveira,
Flores Isadora Luana,
Haiter Neto Francisco,
Durão Carlos Henrique,
Daruge Júnior Eduardo,
Cunha Eugénia
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of forensic sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.715
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1556-4029
pISSN - 0022-1198
DOI - 10.1111/1556-4029.13043
Subject(s) - skull , gunshot wound , medicine , anatomy , fibrous joint , calvaria , cranial vault , craniofacial , surgery , lesion , frontal bone , biology , biochemistry , psychiatry , in vitro
Wormian bones ( WB ) are irregular small cranial ossicles found along suture lines and fontanels. In Brazil, gunshot wounds to the skull are quite common in young individuals. Nevertheless, as far as we know, this is the first report of a WB giving an erroneous aspect of gunshot entrance due to its displacement position. The present manuscript describes the case of a Brazilian young man who died due to ballistic trauma, where a gaping bony defect on the right side of the skull was thought to be the exit wound of an injury related to the destruction found on the left side, highly suggestive of firearm injury. Thus, this case study has brought to light similarities between a traumatic lesion and an orifice of a WB , with emphasis on differential diagnosis during routine anthropological examinations.