NCJ Number
183941
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 45 Issue: 3 Dated: May 2000 Pages: 614-618
Date Published
May 2000
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This article reports the results of histological studies on larynges from eight cases of manual strangulation.
Abstract
All eight cases had intracartilaginous laryngeal hemorrhages, a recently described and under-recognized lesion associated with strangulation. Formalin-fixed larynges were examined in serial section using a standardized protocol. In all cases, intracartilaginous laryngeal hemorrhages were associated with subepithelial laryngeal hemorrhages, and intralaryngeal muscular hemorrhages, forming a “triad of hemorrhages.” In five cases, the triad was found in the presence of laryngeal cartilage microfractures. Since cartilage microfractures can be causally related to mechanical injury to the neck, it is likely that the triad of hemorrhages has diagnostic value as an independent morphological criterion for the postmortem diagnosis of strangulation. Since a proportion of cases of strangulation lack characteristics that are self-evidently due to violent application of pressure on the neck, recognition of the triad may have important implications for the postmortem diagnosis of strangulation. Tables, figures, references