Study of the diagnostic value of the presence of free liquid within the sphenoid air sinuses (Svechnikov's sign) Chovallur Manu Johns1, Hitheshsanker T S2,*, Balachandran Ajay3, Mathew Thomas4 1Assistant Professor in Forensic Medicine, Govt. Medical College, Thrissur 2Associate Professor of Forensic Medicine, Government Medical College, Thrissur, Kerala 3Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Amrita University, Kochi, India 4Professor of Forensic Medicine, Malabar Medical College and Research Centre, Calicut *Corresponding author: Hitheshsanker T S, Associate Professor of Forensic Medicine, Government Medical College, Thrissur, Kerala, hitheshshankar@gmail.com. Phone: +91 94474 65319
Online published on 13 December, 2018. Abstract Background In current forensic practice, it remains difficult to demonstrate that drowning was the cause of death in certain cases. Once putrefaction is established and certainly when it is advanced, the diagnosis is a matter of inference. Svechnikov's sign1 (presence of free liquid within the spenoidal air sinuses) has been proposed as a diagnostic test of drowning.2 Aim To detect, quantitate and validate the presence of fluid in sphenoid sinuses and to compare the findings in drowning and non drowning cases. Materials and Method 50 drowning victims brought for autopsy examination at a teaching hospital in central Kerala formed the cases and the control group was selected from consecutive 50 autopsies with known cause of death other than drowning and those without severe head injury or head and neck malignancy. The jugum sphenoidale was removed and the fluid present in the sinuses was withdrawn by a needle bearing syringe and measured. Qualitative data was analysed using proportions and Chi-square test, while quantitative data was analysed using means, standard déviations and t-Test using SPSS-16.0. Results Detectable quantity of fluid were seen in 43 cases (86%) among 50 drowning victims. 6 out of 7 (85.7%) drowning victims with absent fluid in the sphenoid sinuses were children less than 6 years. Conclusion The study revealed that detection of fluid in the sphenoid sinuses can be used as a diagnostic sign for death by drowning. Top Keywords Drowning, Medium, Sphenoidal air sinuses, Svechnikov's sign. Top |