Post-mortem imaging of laryngohyoid fractures in strangulation incidents: First results

Abstract 

Fractures and soft-tissue injuries of the neck are of great importance in forensic pathology, as they help in assessing whether strangulation took place, and if so, how severely.

In this study, we examined the usefulness of post-mortem imaging with multislice computed tomography (MSCT) in detecting lesions of the laryngohyoid structures and the surrounding soft-tissues. For this purpose, we examined MSCT images of the neck of eight deceased persons who had suffered different types of strangulation and compared the findings with those obtained at the subsequent forensic autopsy.

In six of the eight cases (75%), the fracture findings at autopsy were concordant with those found with MSCT. In the two non-congruent cases, MSCT revealed fractures, which were not discovered at autopsy.

Soft-tissue haemorrhages were detected by autopsy in five cases, but only in one case with MSCT. MSCT does not suffice in detecting soft-tissue injuries.

These preliminary results are promising regarding the detection of fractures in strangulation cases. If these results can be confirmed in larger studies, we believe that post-mortem MSCT may serve – in combination with a thorough external examination and a profound incident-scene investigation – as a useful decision-making tool regarding the necessity of further examinations, i.e. autopsy.

Keywords: MSCT, Forensic imaging, Strangulation, Laryngeal cartilage, Hyoid bone, Forensic science, Virtopsy