Advances in wound ballistic research: Computed tomography analysis of projectile effects in simulants

Wound ballistics, a key area within forensic medicine, focuses on the interaction between projectiles and biological tissue. Central to this is the analysis of temporary and permanent wound cavities created during projectile penetration. The aim of this article is to provide a comprehensive overview of the application of computed tomography (CT) in the analysis of ballistic wound cavities in tissue simulants. It highlights the advantages of CT over traditional destructive methods, focusing on its accuracy, reproducibility, and ability to deliver detailed three-dimensional insights into projectile-tissue simulant interactions. Simulants like ordnance gelatin and glycerin soap are commonly used for research, offering distinct advantages in representing soft tissue properties. CT has emerged as a powerful, non-destructive tool for visualizing and quantifying wound cavities, crack lengths, and projectile fragmentation within these simulants. This imaging modality provides high-resolution, three-dimensional datasets, enabling precise measurement of penetration depth, cavity volume, and energy transferred to the medium along the projectile path. Multi-planar reformations and volume rendering techniques facilitate detailed visualization, while segmentation software allows accurate cavity volume calculations. CT also enables spatial mapping of metallic fragments and fracture morphology in synthetic bone models or injuries in embedded biological organs. Compared to traditional destructive methods, CT offers superior precision, digital archiving capabilities, and detailed internal visualization, making it an increasingly indispensable tool in wound ballistic research and forensic investigations. Over the past two decades, numerous studies have validated CT-based ballistic analysis across a wide range of scenarios.