The necessity of repeated assessment of imaging studies contained in medical records in medico-legal opinions

摘要

The paper presents two case reports of living victims, in which imaging studies of the chest conducted at a?medical facility were an essential part of the medico-legal opinion. The first case was that of a?young male hospitalized due to CT evidence of bilateral rib fractions, who claimed to have been assaulted by police officers. The other case was that of a?six week old baby hospitalized due to chest X-ray evidence of right hand side rib fractions. The chest X-ray was performed due to one bruise found on the baby’s forehead and two small bruises on the back, which gave rise to suspicions of child abuse. In both cases, expert witnesses in radiology definitively excluded the presence of any fractures. These cases indicate that a?new assessment of imaging studies contained in medical records is needed. Expert opinions based solely on the description of imaging studies may result in grave consequences.