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Suicide by intracerebellar ballpoint pen
Philippe Lunetta1, Annakatri Ohberg, Antti Sajantila
1Department of Forensic Medicine, University of Helsinki, Finland. philippe.lunetta@helsinki.fi
The American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology
|December 5, 2002
Summary
Self-inflicted eye injuries are common in psychiatric patients. A rare transorbital penetrating trauma from a pen led to fatal intracranial lesions, highlighting the need for thorough diagnosis in such cases.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Ophthalmology
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Self-inflicted eye injuries are prevalent in psychiatric populations.
- Transorbital penetrating trauma, though rare, poses a significant risk of undiagnosed lethal intracranial lesions.
Observation:
- A fatal case involved a 25-year-old male schizophrenic patient with a plastic ballpoint pen penetrating his right orbit to the cerebellum.
- Initial computed tomography (CT) scans misinterpreted the trajectory as a bullet wound.
Findings:
- The penetrating object was identified as a ballpoint pen only during autopsy.
- Delayed diagnosis of the intracranial lesion contributed to the patient's death 4 days post-trauma.
Implications:
- Clinicians and investigators must consider intracranial penetrating lesions in cases of ocular trauma, particularly in psychiatric patients.
- Thorough evaluation is crucial even for seemingly minor eye injuries to prevent fatal outcomes.