Thoracic Vertebrae Gun Shot Wound

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This specimen consists of portions of the T3, T4, and T5 vertebrae. There is a large comminuted ballistic fracture of almost the entire height of the T4 vertebral body, with a large region of bone abcence on the right side.There is an externally bevelled pattern - this represents a bullet wound where the bullet has travelled from posteriorly to anteriorly. There is some bullet wipe on the trabecular bone within the depths of the wound. A 30-30 calibre is a hunting rifle calibre - this type of projectile would cause extensive tissue damage because of the large amount of kinetic energy the bullet possesses. Authors: Jake F McCallum- Vancouver Fraser Medical Program, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada Aaron M Baker - Island Medical Program, University of British Columbia, Victoria, BC, Canada Contributor: Kurt McBurney - Associate Teaching Professor Division of Medical Sciences, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada