{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,14]],"date-time":"2026-01-14T18:29:22Z","timestamp":1768415362066,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":18,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,4,4]],"date-time":"2022-04-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1649030400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Diagnostics"],"abstract":"<jats:p>In case of thoracoabdominal gunshot wounds (GSW), diaphragmatic lesions are common autopsy findings. In these cases, the bullet\u2019s path involves both the thorax and the abdomen, so the diaphragm (the muscle that separates the two cavities) is frequently damaged. In the present report we illustrate a very unusual autopsy finding, came up after a man was shot twice and affected by a lethal thoracoabdominal gunshot wound. In particular, as expected based on CT scans, the corpse exhibited a thoracic-abdominal path and a retained bullet in the abdomen, but no diaphragmatic lesions or hemorrhagic infiltrations of this muscle have been detected during the autopsy. After a scrupulous examination and the section of all the organs, the intracorporeal projectile\u2019s path was reconstructed, inferring that the thoracoabdominal transit of the bullet extraordinarily had occurred in correspondence of the diaphragmatic inferior vena cava\u2019s ostium, thus exploiting a natural passage without damaging the diaphragmatic muscle.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/diagnostics12040899","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,4,5]],"date-time":"2022-04-05T06:01:34Z","timestamp":1649138494000},"page":"899","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":4,"title":["An Unusual Case of Fatal Thoracoabdominal Gunshot Wound without Diaphragm Injury"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"12","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2864-3521","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sara","family":"Sablone","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Section of Legal Medicine, Department of Interdisciplinary Medicine, University of Bari, Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, 70124 Bari, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6206-5542","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Valeria","family":"Lagona","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Section of Legal Medicine, Department of Interdisciplinary Medicine, University of Bari, Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, 70124 Bari, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Francesco","family":"Introna","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Section of Legal Medicine, Department of Interdisciplinary Medicine, University of Bari, Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, 70124 Bari, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,4,4]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"128","DOI":"10.1590\/S0100-39842014000200018","article-title":"Bullet embolism of pulmonary artery: A case report","volume":"47","author":"Yamanari","year":"2014","journal-title":"Radiol. Bras"},{"key":"ref_2","unstructured":"Richard, S. (2012). Snell, The thorax\u2014Part I: The thoracic wall. Clinical Anatomy by Regions, Wolter Kuwers\u2014Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. [9th ed.]."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"184","DOI":"10.1001\/archsurg.1962.01310020014004","article-title":"Bullet Embolus of the Left Femoral Artery: Report of a Case Which Occurred After an Abdominal Gunshot Wound","volume":"85","author":"Iskeceli","year":"1962","journal-title":"Arch. Surg."},{"key":"ref_4","first-page":"173","article-title":"Inferior vena cava gunshot injury: Case report and a review of the literature","volume":"77","author":"Formisano","year":"2006","journal-title":"Ann. Ital. Chir."},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"81","DOI":"10.1016\/j.thorsurg.2007.03.006","article-title":"Traumatic diaphragmatic injuries","volume":"17","author":"Scharff","year":"2007","journal-title":"Thorac. Surg. Clin."},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"55","DOI":"10.2174\/1573398X11666150427222925","article-title":"Traumatic Diaphragm Injuries: A Comprehensive Review","volume":"11","author":"DeBarros","year":"2015","journal-title":"Curr. Respir. Med. Rev."},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"262","DOI":"10.1590\/1677-5449.005315","article-title":"Arterial bullet embolism after thoracic gunshot wound","volume":"17","author":"Pereira","year":"2018","journal-title":"J. Vasc. Bras"},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"119","DOI":"10.1016\/S0022-5223(19)35136-0","article-title":"Unusually low mortality of penetrating wounds of the chest. Twelve years\u2019 experience","volume":"97","author":"Mandal","year":"1989","journal-title":"J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. 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Int."},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"690","DOI":"10.1097\/TA.0000000000002290","article-title":"Wound ballistics of military rifle bullets: An update on controversial issues and associated misconceptions","volume":"87","author":"Stefanopoulos","year":"2019","journal-title":"J. Trauma Acute Care Surg."},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.17352\/pjfst.000001","article-title":"Physics of the permanent cavity of the firearm wound","volume":"1","author":"Eldieb","year":"2015","journal-title":"Forensic. Sci. Today"},{"key":"ref_17","first-page":"3","article-title":"Histologic analysis of pig muscle tissue after wounding with a high-velocity projectile preliminary report","volume":"45","author":"Korac","year":"2006","journal-title":"Acta Clin. Croat."},{"key":"ref_18","unstructured":"Fackler, M.L. (1987). What\u2019s Wrong with the Wound Ballistics Literature, and Why, Latterman Army Institute of Research, Division of Military Trauma Research Presidio of San Francisco."}],"container-title":["Diagnostics"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2075-4418\/12\/4\/899\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]],"date-time":"2025-10-10T22:49:47Z","timestamp":1760136587000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2075-4418\/12\/4\/899"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2022,4,4]]},"references-count":18,"journal-issue":{"issue":"4","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,4]]}},"alternative-id":["diagnostics12040899"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/diagnostics12040899","relation":{},"ISSN":["2075-4418"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2075-4418","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2022,4,4]]}}}