A case of lethal varicose vein rupture caused by massive leiomyoma

Varicose veins are a common and benign disease, especially affecting the lower limbs of the elderly. This pathology can exhibit several complications, which in the majority of cases do not require medical treat-ment; life-threatening conditions are possible but extremely rare. We present here a suspected murder case in which a woman was found dead in her home with a large amount of blood soiling the floor and the furniture of her house. Death scene investigation (DSI) with body inspection and bloodstain pattern analysis (BPA) were not exhaustive in excluding a homicide, and the prosecutor asked for a forensic autopsy. During the dissection, a uterine neoplasia, which altered the lower limb venous system, was detected, thus al-lowing to reconstruct the physio-pathological mechanism of the formation and rupture of the varicose vein. (c) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Varicose veins are a common and benign disease, especially in the elderly lower limbs, with most cases not requiring medical treatment. Investigating a suspected murder case revealed a forensic autopsy uncovering the physiological mechanism behind the formation and rupture of varicose veins.