ABMDI Wound Pattern Analysis and Injury Classification 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What feature most reliably distinguishes a gunshot entrance wound from an exit wound?
- Entrance wounds are always larger than exit wounds
- Entrance wounds typically have an abrasion collar while exit wounds do not (Correct answer)
- Exit wounds display stippling while entrance wounds do not
- Exit wounds are always smaller and more circular
Correct answer: Entrance wounds typically have an abrasion collar while exit wounds do not
The abrasion collar (marginal abrasion) forms at entrance wounds as the spinning bullet stretches and scrapes the skin on entry; exit wounds lack this feature because the bullet pushes tissue outward.
Question 2: Which term describes subcutaneous hemorrhage caused by blunt force trauma beneath intact skin?
- Laceration
- Contusion (Correct answer)
- Abrasion
- Incised wound
Correct answer: Contusion
A contusion (bruise) results from blunt force rupturing blood vessels beneath intact skin, producing visible discoloration without breaking the surface.
Question 3: In gunshot wound analysis, 'stippling' or 'tattooing' refers to:
- A pattern of petechiae caused by asphyxia
- Unburned or partially burned gunpowder particles embedded in the skin near an entrance wound (Correct answer)
- Tissue staining from decomposition gases
- The imprint left by a firearm muzzle on contact wounds
Correct answer: Unburned or partially burned gunpowder particles embedded in the skin near an entrance wound
Stippling (tattooing) is caused by unburned or partially burned gunpowder particles that travel from the muzzle and embed in the skin at intermediate firing distances.
Question 4: A wound with clean, straight edges, minimal tissue bridging, and uniform depth is most consistent with:
- Blunt force trauma
- A contact range gunshot wound
- A sharp force incised wound (Correct answer)
- A bite mark
Correct answer: A sharp force incised wound
Sharp force incised wounds (cuts) produced by bladed instruments have clean, well-defined edges with little or no tissue bridging, distinguishing them from lacerations caused by blunt force.
Question 5: A contact range gunshot wound to the head most characteristically produces which entrance wound morphology?
- A clean, circular entrance wound with no surrounding marks
- A stellate (star-shaped) wound from muzzle gases expanding beneath the scalp (Correct answer)
- A large oval wound with extensive stippling
- A small wound with soot only on the wound margins
Correct answer: A stellate (star-shaped) wound from muzzle gases expanding beneath the scalp
At hard-contact range against the head, muzzle gases enter the wound track and expand beneath the scalp, tearing it outward and producing a characteristic stellate or cruciform laceration.
Question 6: Which of the following best differentiates lacerations from incised wounds?
- Lacerations have clean, sharp edges; incised wounds have ragged edges
- Lacerations are caused by sharp instruments; incised wounds are not
- Lacerations have irregular, jagged edges with tissue bridging; incised wounds have clean edges (Correct answer)
- Lacerations are always deeper than incised wounds
Correct answer: Lacerations have irregular, jagged edges with tissue bridging; incised wounds have clean edges
Lacerations result from blunt force tearing the skin, leaving irregular, abraded edges and tissue bridges spanning the wound; incised wounds from sharp instruments have smooth, clean-cut edges.
Question 7: Which wound finding is most indicative of a close-range (but not contact) gunshot wound when soot is absent?
- Abrasion collar only
- Stippling (tattooing) without soot deposition (Correct answer)
- Large, stellate exit wound
- Cherry-red skin discoloration
Correct answer: Stippling (tattooing) without soot deposition
At close-to-intermediate range, unburned gunpowder particles reach the skin to produce stippling, but the shooter is too far for soot (carbon) to deposit, making stippling without soot characteristic of this range.
ABMDI Wound Pattern Analysis and Injury Classification 1
What feature most reliably distinguishes a gunshot entrance wound from an exit wound?