An entrance wound over the forehead is irregularly elongated with one margin showing a shelved, beveled defect resembling a keyhole. The MOST likely explanation is:
- A The bullet struck the skull tangentially after ricocheting off another surface ✓
- B The bullet was fired from more than 10 metres away
- C The wound is actually an exit wound misidentified as entry
- D The bullet was of unusually small calibre
Correct answer: A. The bullet struck the skull tangentially after ricocheting off another surface
Explanation
B keyhole wound results when a bullet strikes the skull at a shallow tangential angle, often after ricochet, producing an entrance defect with a wedge-shaped, beveled portion where the bone is fractured outward along part of the margin. Range does not produce this morphology, calibre does not alter wound shape this way, and a true exit would show everted margins without an abrasion collar.
Reference: Knight's Forensic Pathology, 4th ed.
High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP
Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.