[Pneumocephaly: an expert assessment in determining the severity of harm to health].

The purpose of the work is the analysis of etiology and pathogenesis of pneumocephaly in various injuries, diseases and pathological conditions for the reasonable determination of the severity of health damage during forensic medical examinations. The analysis of literature data on the causes and mechanisms of pneumocephaly is given. Attention is paid to the assessment of pneumocephaly in determining the health damage in patients with traumatic brain injury or if it is suspected. It is proposed to consider pneumocephaly as an indirect sign of a skull fracture. In case of pneumocephaly, a radiologically confirmed fracture is necessary to justify serious health damage. The medical documents of the victim should be examined to exclude concomitant diseases and pathological conditions that can lead to pneumocephaly.