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Thoracic Spine Injuries

Thoracic Spine Injuries

Reinforced by the ribcage, the thoracic spine is generally much more stable than the cervical or lumbar regions. It is rare to see cases involving thoracic spine injury but injuries in this region can occur and we see cases of this type from time to time. Intervertebral disc injuries in the thoracic spine can be quite severe resulting in significant spinal stenosis and compression of the spinal cord at these levels. The most severe disc injuries often require extensive surgical repairs. These repairs include both the removal of the offending disc material and fusions of the injured levels. There are multiple options for surgical fusion.Click here to view this video on our YouTube page.This case involved a traditional posterior decompression and fusion including posterior fixation hardware. First an incision was created to expose the posterior aspects of the spine at the levels of injury. Next, the laminae and spinous processes were removed to decompress the spinal cord. This decom

Jun 15, 2020 - 1 min read
Medical Malpractice Case Study in Fairfax, VA

Medical Malpractice Case Study in Fairfax, VA

Trial Presentation Case Study: Medical Malpractice Case in Fairfax, VA Court.    This medical malpractice trial in Fairfax, VA utilized graphics, illustrations, electronic presentation, and

May 20, 2020 - 1 min read
Animating Flow

Animating Flow

For most attorneys who are considering the use of animation in their courtroom presentations, the only real question is whether to use animation or to use traditional illustration. Once the decision is made to use animation, there’s not much thought given to style or technique.But there are many variations in animation technique. Some are more clear and schematic, while others are more realistic and dramatic. The style of the animation created can change based on both the objective and the personal taste of the presenter.Click here to view this video on our YouTube page.For our purposes here, let’s limit our discussion to the differences in animating the flow of liquids or gases.Of course, in traditional illustration, movement or flow is typically represented with arrows. Arrows are a universal symbol for both movement and direction.For this reason, arrows are also an option for animation. Yet, even though these arrows are a simple solution for animation, an even more schemati

Apr 20, 2020 - 1 min read
Reperfusion Injury

Reperfusion Injury

In this case it was necessary to show two separate mechanisms of injury. Regretfully, this developing child was damaged in two ways: 1st by a blockage of blood flow to the brain, and 2nd by a reperfusion injury when flow was restored.Click here to view this video on our YouTube pageIn order to explain these injuries we had to first educate the audience on normal oxygenation of a fetus by showing how oxygen is carried from the placenta to the fetus via the umbilical cord and then how this oxygen travels through the babies body to be released into the brain.An enlargement of one of these tiny blood vessels in the brain clearly showed how the blood releases oxygen into the surrounding brain tissue.Next, we animated the first mechanism of injury. When the amount of oxygen available to the baby slows or stops, less oxygen is released into the brain. This results in widespread ischemia, or tissue death, in the brain of this baby.But that was only the first injury. Eventually flow of

Apr 14, 2020 - 1 min read
Combining 2D and 3D Views

Combining 2D and 3D Views

In recent years, 3D modeling of anatomy has become more and more popular. This is certainly understandable when you view the beauty of what can be achieved in 3D.Modern 3D technology allows for bright vibrant color, crisp clear images and various percentages of transparency. When handled well, it can look very exciting and professional.Regretfully, 3D visualization may not allow for the most precise representation of location and proximity. Since the proximity of structures can look closer or further away in 3D depending on the perspective shown, it is still often preferable to include 2D views when perfect precision is required.Click here to view this video on our YouTube pageIn this animation, it was essential to show the exact location that the medication was injected to make it clear that the subclavian artery was not violated. While the 3D portion of the animation provides a good overall understanding of how the injection was done, the inset 2D portion allows for the preci

Apr 14, 2020 - 1 min read
Representing The Unknown

Representing The Unknown

At Trial Exhibits, we are sometimes called upon to illustrate general theories that do not have defined specifics. In such cases, an expert witness may have an overall opinion on what occurred without knowing exactly how it happened. This illustration of umbilical cord compression is a great example of this problem.In this case involving a defect in fetal development, the OB-GYN expert was confident that the defect in this fetus occurred long before the delivery due to a compression of the umbilical cord resulting in a reduction of blood flow to the fetus. Regretfully, it was impossible to say how this umbilical cord compression occurred. Was the cord compressed between the shoulder and the anterior uterine wall? Was it compressed between the head and the cervix? The exact mechanism was unknown. The lack of these specifics does not change the validity of the theory, but it certainly makes it difficult to illustrate! That was the problem presented to Trial Exhibits.Our solution is

Mar 30, 2020 - 1 min read
Positional Awareness

Positional Awareness

In most medical cases, there is a need for the audience to understand the pertinent anatomy not in isolation, but in relationship to other structures. In a whiplash case, you need to understand the relationship of the brain and skull. In a gallbladder case, you need to understand the relationship of the cystic duct and the common bile duct. In a shoulder dystocia case, you need to understand the relationship of the baby’s shoulder to the mother’s pelvis. True understanding involved positional awareness.This was just such a case. The opposition was arguing that a midline incision should have been made through the sternum (breastbone) to access the heart in a traditional fashion. We claimed that adhesions from a previous procedure made this risky, so an alternate approach was preferred. To make our argument, we had to make sure that the audience understood the relationship of the sternum to the underlying heart and great vessels and how this relationship was changed by the adhes

Mar 30, 2020 - 1 min read
Fighting Blood Clots

Fighting Blood Clots

Have you ever wondered why we need to get up and move around from time to time while we fly or why a bedbound patient is more susceptible to venous thrombosis (blood clotting)? These issues of clotting are common in a variety of legal cases including pulmonary embolism cases and various stroke cases. Therefore, it is widely known that inactivity can lead to blood clotting and that these clots can lead to a number of dangerous results, but it is not so widely understood how ambulation (walking) can help prevent these complications.That was precisely the issue in one case recently illustrated by Trial Exhibits. In this case, one medical expert wanted to explain exactly why ambulation helps to prevent clots as one factor involved in the natural mechanisms the body uses to keep clotting in check. This illustration was created to assist that testimony.As you can see, we first created an illustration that gives an overall understanding of a blood clot. This illustration shows how red bl

Mar 30, 2020 - 1 min read