Title :

Determination of the age of bruises using a bilirubinometer

Author(s) :

Mesli, Vadim [Auteur]
Le Garff, Erwan [Auteur]
Marchand, Elodie [Auteur]
Labreuche, Julien [Auteur]
Evaluation des technologies de santé et des pratiques médicales - ULR 2694 [METRICS]
Ramdane, Nassima [Auteur]
Evaluation des technologies de santé et des pratiques médicales - ULR 2694 [METRICS]
Maynou, Carlos [Auteur]
Delannoy, Yann [Auteur]
Marrow Adiposity & Bone Lab - Adiposité Médullaire et Os - ULR 4490 [MABLab (ex-pmoi)]
Hedouin, Valery [Auteur]
Unité de Taphonomie médico-légale et Anatomie - ULR 7367 [UTML&A]

Journal title :

Forensic science international

Abbreviated title :

Forensic Sci. Int.

Volume number :

302

Pages :

109831

Publication date :

2019-05-30

ISSN :

1872-6283

HAL domain(s) :

Sciences du Vivant [q-bio]

English abstract : [en]

The dating of bruises can be of crucial interest in clinical forensic medicine, but the macroscopic or photographic evaluation of a bruise has not been regarded as reliable. Several methods have thus been regularly evaluated ...
Show more >The dating of bruises can be of crucial interest in clinical forensic medicine, but the macroscopic or photographic evaluation of a bruise has not been regarded as reliable. Several methods have thus been regularly evaluated for this purpose, with reflectance spectrometry yielding promising results. The objective of this study is to evaluate the value of a bilirubinometer as a tool for dating bruises on living victims. A clinical follow-up was carried out on patients presenting a bruise with a known onset. Using a bilirubinometer, we obtained daily measurements of the bruise (bili-bruise) and of healthy skin (bili-skin). Potential confounding factors were collected: age, sex, body mass index, trauma mechanism and Fitzpatrick skin phototype. We followed 20 patients for a total of 88 measurements of bruises. Bili-skin values showed significant differences according to skin phototype. Differences between the bili-bruise and bili-skin values (Δ-bili) followed an increase phase, peaking between 3 and 5 days, and then there was a decrease phase. No significant Δ-bili value differences were observed based on the suspected confounding factors. Our results are in favour of a peak Δ-bili value generally at day 4 or 5 post-trauma. Notably, decreasing values were not observed before day 3. Decreasing Δ-bili values would then indicate a bruise resulting from an injury formed at least 3 days before the first measurement. Complementary work confirming such data would enable improvement of the performance of bruise dating in forensic medicine.Show less >

Language :

Anglais

Audience :

Internationale

Popular science :

Non

Administrative institution(s) :

CHU Lille
Univ. Littoral Côte d’Opale
Université de Lille

Collections :

• Marrow Adiposity & Bone Lab [MABLab] - ULR 4490
• METRICS : Evaluation des technologies de santé et des pratiques médicales - ULR 2694
• Unité de Taphonomie Médico-Légale (UTML) - ULR 7367

Submission date :

2019-12-09T16:50:40Z