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Biomedical subjects

Michael Peel

Publications and source records attributed to Michael Peel.

4 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2004

Posttraumatic seizures in survivors of torture: manifestations, diagnosis, and treatment.

Survivors of torture are very likely to have been beaten repeatedly around the head. Apparent brief losses of consciousness are not uncommon following torture, and they may be associated with signs that suggest temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). The relative risk of developing posttraumatic seizures (PTS) is increased by about 50% after a single head injury involving a brief loss of consciousness. It is 2.9 if that loss of consciousness lasts for more than about 30 min. Thus, patients who have been tortured are at increased risk of seizures. TLE is difficult to diagnose and needs specialist investigations, and other conditions that are not uncommon in survivors of torture, such as panic attacks, posttraumatic stress disorder, dissociation, and syncope can all present with similar pictures. This paper addresses the differential diagnosis of posttraumatic epilepsy in survivors of torture.

Brain Injuries↗
PubMed2003

Postinflammatory hyperpigmentation following torture.

Hyperpigmentation after torture in darker skinned patients has regularly been noted, although its pathophysiology, and thus its forensic importance, has not previously been documented. Hyperpigmentation is not well described in the dermatological literature. It is the result of inflammation. Any inflammation can cause hyperpigmentation, and the shape of the resulting lesion can closely follow the contours of the site of original inflammatory response. This can be important in correlating the lesion with the alleged cause. It also helps to establish the differential diagnosis of the lesion, which also assists in assessing the degree of consistency between the lesion and the alleged cause. Patterns of hyperpigmentation can therefore, be helpful in assessing allegations of torture months or years after the event.

Journal Article↗