Medicolegal value of radiological diagnosis for trauma patients

Introduction and Aim: In Clinical Forensic Medicine, there may be differences between diagnosis of the clinicians and radiologists. Opinion of the clinician who evaluates patients holistically with physical examination is important. However, interpretation of the clinical status with sophisticated imaging techniques requires specific training. We aimed to demonstrate influences of radiologic diagnosis on medicolegal evaluation, by requesting consultation from the Radiodiagnostic Department, and comparing the clinical and radiological diagnostic data.Materials and Methods: Medical records of the patients who underwent medicolegal evaluation were analysed by comparing the diagnosis of the clinicians and the radiologists obtained by consultation upon the official written requests of our Department in the period between 2000-2010. Medicolegal assessments based on clinical diagnosis of the patients with or without radiology consultation were compared.Results: The mean age of the 333 study patients was 38.4 ± 18. Radiology consultation was requested for 371 clinical diagnosis and different clinical assesments were determined in 10.2% and 20.7% of them for internal organ injuries and bone fracture / dislocation, respectively. Of the 327 cases who underwent medicolegal evaluation with radiological data, 29.4% had life-threatening injuries, while 70.6% had injuries causing fractures. When medicolegal evaluation was concluded with only clinical diagnosis, these figures would be identified as 37% and 84.7%, respectively.Discussion and Conclusion: Clinical and radiological diagnosis of trauma patients may have dissidence, which would influence medicolegal evaluation. For trauma patients with uncertain or inadequate clinical signs, requesting radiology consultation would be adequate to perform an objective medicolegal assessment.