Medico-legal study of intracranial causes of death

BackgroundA lot of incidents related to the head region could lead to death, but for sim-plicity’s sake, these incidents are mainly of two broad categories: either non-traumatic (natural) or traumatic (violent).ObjectivesTo classify all intra-cranial lesions and injuries according to the mode and manner of death, gender, age and admission to hospital, and to evaluate these lesions and their role in the cause of death.Materials and methodsThe study was performed on 119 cases referred to the Medico-Legal Insti-tute in Baghdad within the period of the study from 1 November 2012 to 1 May 2013. Complete routine autopsies were carried out for all cases with a thorough external and internal examination. Digital photography was used for some interesting cases. Tissue specimens were sent for histopathol-ogy and blood samples were drawn for alcohol and toxicology.ResultsIntracranial lesions accounted for 11.54% of the total deaths. The mean age was 32.48 ± 17.59. The commonest age group affected by intracranial lesions was > 20–30 years. Traumatic cases were the commonest. Males were more than females. In traumatic deaths, road traffic accidents were the commonest categories of death, while in the non-traumatic deaths cerebro-vascular accidents were the commonest category. Accidental manner of death was the commonest. Intracranial lesions alone were seen in only 27.73% of the cases. Subarachnoid hemorrhages were the commonest intracranial lesions. Pneumonia represents the commonest complication in delayed death.ConclusionsPure intracranial causes of death were recorded in a minority of cases studied. Mostly they were sharing injuries in other anatomical sites.