Radiological evidence of a modern "martyr's crown": suicide by multiple self-inflicted nail gun shots

Pomara C, D’Errico S,  Fineschi V, Guglielmi G
Correspondence: Prof Giuseppe Guglielmi, Italy. g.guglielmi@unifg.it

ABSTRACT
A man attempted suicide by shooting seven nails into his head with a nail gun; five in the right temporal regionand two in the left. He subsequently presented at the emergency department with complaints of headache. He was found to be oriented in space and time, with no focal neurological deficits. The patient handed the nail gun to the doctors and informed them that he had earlier attempted suicide. Radiological studies showed the presence of nails arranged like a ‘martyr’s crown’. The man died six days after the surgical removal of the nails. Autopsy was refused by Italian authorities. We conclude that imaging techniques are an adjuvant to forensic medical diagnosis and forensic autopsies.

Keywords: cerebral ischaemia, nail gun, successful suicide
Singapore Med J 2012; 53(8):e169–e171