While abdominal stabbings are frequently associated with homicides, abdominal self-stabbing is uncommon and poses a challenge for the investigators. In cases of sharp force trauma, the presence of hesitation cuts over the neck and extremities help to distinguish self-inflicted injuries from homicides. Hesitation cuts are not associated with self-inflicted sharp force injuries to the abdomen, and thus are of limited use in distinguishing suicidal from homicidal abdominal stab wounds. In this study, we present a case of self-inflicted abdominal stabbing along with a detailed review of literature to help elucidate such cases.
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