Fatal intra-abdominal hemorrhage as a result of avulsion of the gallbladder: A postmortem case report. (1st March 2013)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Usui, Akihito; Kawasumi, Yusuke; Hosokai, Yoshiyuki; Saito, Haruo; Igari, Yui; Funayama, Masato
• Is Part Of: Acta radiologica open. Volume 2:Number 2(2013)
• Page Start: 1
• Page End: 3
• Publication Date: 2013-03-01
• Subjects: Multislice computed tomography -- postmortem diagnosis -- forensic autopsy -- gallbladder injury -- avulsion; Radiology -- Periodicals; Diagnostic Imaging -- Periodicals; Radiology; Periodicals; 616.075705
• DOI: 10.1177/2047981613482898
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2058-4601

Abstract

Gallbladder injuries are extremely rare in blunt trauma, with a reported incidence of <2%. We report an autopsy case of fatal hemorrhagic shock due to intra-abdominal bleeding resulting from complete avulsion of the gallbladder associated with liver cirrhosis. Multiplanar images derived from multislice computed tomography (MSCT) performed as part of pre-autopsy screening showed complete avulsion of the gallbladder without any other associated intra-abdominal injuries, facilitating forensic autopsy planning. In this report, we discuss the role of MSCT in cases of fatal intra-abdominal bleeding caused by avulsion of the gallbladder and discuss the mechanism of this injury.