Intracranial injuries in the autopsy material of the Department of Forensic Medicine of the Medical University of Lodz with analysis of anatomical lesions caused by traumatic brain injuries

In 2022, 408 autopsies were performed in the Department of Forensic Medicine of the Lodz Medical University, of which as many as 82 concerned deaths with intracranial injuries, which represents about 20 % of all performed autopsies. The article presents a comparative analysis of deaths of people with intracranial injuries in terms of frequency, the structure of victims (gender, age, sobriety), type of injury (intracranial bleeding, bruises of nerve tissue, nerve tissue tears, posttraumatic brain oedema, etc.), causes and circumstances of death, place of death (house, hospital, street) survival time, type of tool/object used, and the obtained data were compared with publications from other departments of forensic medicine. The victims were definitely male. Regarding age, deaths mainly concerned people between 31 and 70. The most common cause of death was multi-organ injuries, craniocerebral, intracranial and the least other injuries. Regarding the circumstances of the deaths, most of the cases were accidents; the fewest were homicides. • The article presents an analysis of anatomical lesions caused by traumatic brain injuries. • The potential causes and clinical significance associated with traumatic brain injury are discussed. • Injuries to other parts of the body accompanying intracranial injuries are also highlighted.