NCJ Number
223402
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 53 Issue: 3 Dated: May 2008 Pages: 720-723
Date Published
May 2008
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This paper reports on a retrospective study of 228 consecutive cases of hanging for which a standard autopsy was performed and reports were housed in the Institute of Legal Medicine of Santiago de Compostela (Spain) or the National Institute of Legal Medicine of Portugal-Coimbra.
Abstract
Regarding vascular lesions, which are well-known in the literature on hanging but with unexplained differences in reported frequencies, the current study found that they were more common in the carotid, with tears in the adventitial layer of the carotid in 21.7 percent of the autopsies. The fact that such lesions were significantly more common in male hanging victims, and particularly when a fixed knot was used, probably reflects the greater body weight of males and the pressure exerted and maintained by this type of knot. Lesions in the intima were less frequent and unrelated to any of the parameters investigated. The greater occurrence of lesions in the carotid artery than in the jugular vein could be explained by the higher content of elastic fibers in the latter, which makes it more stretchable and consequently more resistant to rupture. Although lesions were the focus of this study of hangings, information is also provided on general features, type of suspension and ligature, placement of the ligature knot, hanging mark, asphyxial signs, argent line, fractures of the hyoid bone and/or laryngeal cartilages, cervical fractures, and muscle hemorrhages. Each case involved a complete autopsy, including toxicological analysis when considered necessary. The technique for examination of the neck was similar in both institutions. Basic demographic data as well as circumstantial and pathological information were recorded for each case. 3 figures and 40 references