Contribuição ao estudo diagnóstico dos ferimentos pérfuro-contusos por projéteis de arma de fogo civil na pele humana com enfoque histopatológico

Abstract

In Brazil, there was a significant increase of deaths due to external causes resulting from wounds of firearm projectiles. This kind of wound is the third cause of Brazilians´ deaths, after cardiac and cerebral vascular diseases. Taking into account the necessity of public and social order, both the Medicine and Forensic Justice have interest in victims of wounds of external causes. In this case, Justice searches in the medical science a set of juridical knowledge to help it to defend the rights and interests of men and society: this is the Forensics Medicine. The Forensic Physician has to be able to provide the causa mortis as well to describe the wounds of the Justice interest. In the cases associated with firearms, this physician has to determine if the orifice from the projectile in the body is of entrance or exit. This is very important according to the juridical and proceeding point of view. The firearm projectiles cause in the human skin several typical wounds; however, the shot direction or if the wound occurred due to the entrance or the exit of the projectile are not always determined macroscopically by the forensic physician. Therefore, other means, as the histological, to provide an accurate diagnosis should be taken into account. This study analyzed macroscopically and microscopically 14 wounds of entrance and their 14 wounds of exits, comparing data with the related in the literature. This study showed that hystopathological analysis of wounds due to firearm projectiles provides an effective diagnosis of the entrance and exit orifice. Coagulation necrosis of keratinocytes associated with subepidermal fissure (effects of burn injuries) is a pathognomonic feature of the entrance orifice, whereas the presence of adipose, muscle and bone tissues in the derm is characteristic of the exit orifice.