An example of multidisciplinary approach in the medicolegal evaluation of cases applying to the Forensic Medicine polyclinic: Forensic Medicine and Radiology joint study model

Abstract

Purpose: Evaluation of radiological images is frequently required in preparing a forensic report that requires multidisciplinary evaluation of cases. The aim of the councils that we organized with the joint participation of Forensic Medicine and Radiology was to emphasize the importance of multidisciplinary cooperation between the disciplines of forensic medicine and radiology for the professional and accurate evaluation of radiological findings and to present this approach as a model by considering the cases evaluated.

Method: Archive records between January 2019 and July 2022 were scanned, and the reports evaluated by our forensic medicine and radiology councils were evaluated in terms of age, gender, report type, pathologies evaluated in the council, and medicolegal results.

Findings: In our study, 266 cases were evaluated. 57.1% of the cases (n=152) were trauma cases. The most common osseous pathologies (54.9%) were evaluated in traumatic cases, and these were thoracic (21.7%) and cranial (13.6%) pathologies. 44.2% of the pathologies evaluated in trauma cases met the life-threatening criterion and the majority of these pathologies (%64.4).

Conclusion: We believe that evaluating radiological images affecting forensic medical evaluation together with forensic medicine and radiology specialists from a forensic medicine perspective and reaching a conclusion is important regarding forensic reporting and results. Therefore, we recommend the establishment of joint councils of the Forensic Medicine and Radiology Departments as a model to discuss cases that require the evaluation of a radiologist during the forensic medical evaluation process.