The aim: To identify the main groups of expert defects that arise during the forensic assessment of changes detected during the examination of persons who died from a traumatic brain injury (TBI).
Materials and methods: A total of 102 repeated commission forensic medical examinations with changed conclusions in corpses with TBI were analyzed. Data processing and analysis were conducted using statistical methods.
Results: The examined forensic medical assessments of TBI with changed conclusions in corpses were categorized into the following groups: defects in estab¬lishing the diagnosis of TBI – 17.65±7.4%; defects in establishing the mechanism of TBI – 35.3±9.3%; defects in establishing the duration of TBI – 39.22±9.5%: sober – 20±12.4%; with alcohol intoxication – 80±12.4%. A combination of defects was found in 7.83±5.2% of cases. Defects that directly affected the experts’ incorrect establishment of the diagnosis, mechanism, and duration of TBI were also identified.
Conclusions: The largest number of changed conclusions during the forensic medical examination of corpses in cases of TBI was due to the wrongly established duration of the trauma, accounting for 39.2±9.5%, with the vast majority of cases (80±12.4%) observed against the background of alcohol intoxication. The mechanism of trauma accounted for 35.3±9.3% of the changed conclusions. The main defects were incomplete collection of material for histological examination (90.2±5.8%) and incorrect interpretation of the results of histological examination (76.48±8.2%), along with the violation of the method of sectional examination (68.6±9.0%). Different groups of expert defects predominated in the cases with an incorrectly established diagnosis of TBI, duration of trauma, and mechanism.