NCJ Number
231241
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 55 Issue: 3 Dated: May 2010 Pages: 826-829
Date Published
May 2010
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article reports the case of a 33-year-old security guard found dead in Venice, in the water of the lagoon, who at autopsy presented a previously undiagnosed hydrocephalus with macrocephaly.
Abstract
Bodies found in water present several diagnostic challenges for the forensic examiner, such as the identification of the time and mechanism of death, the postmortem submersion time, and above all the circumstances of drowning. In the current case, the victim remained asymptomatic until 2 months before death and had never undergone a neurological or radiological examination. This article emphasizes the need to perform a thorough autopsy in all suspected drownings, discuss the etiopathogenesis of the neurological disease and hypothesize a possible relationship between the hydrocephalus and the drowning accident. Finally, the article discusses the major clinical and forensic implications of macrocephaly and hydrocephalus in adults. 3 figures and 14 references (Published Abstract)