1Assistant Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine, Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences Karad, Maharastra
2Associate Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine, Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute, Bangalore
3Professor and Head, Department of Forensic Medicine, Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute, Bangalore
Online published on 19 January, 2015.
Hanging and ligature strangulation are common causes of asphyxial deaths due to compression of neck by ligature material. Damage of osteo-cartilaginous structures of neck in form of fractures of hyoid bone and thyroid cartilage is the important finding indicative of compression on neck by external force in form of ligature. The present study was carried out to know the incidence of fractures of hyoid bone and thyroid cartilage in hanging and ligature strangulation.
A cross sectional study of a total of 105 cases of hanging and ligature strangulation was conducted in the Department of Forensic Medicine, Victoria Hospital over a period of 20 months from November 2009 to June 2011.
Of the 109 cases studied, hanging constitutes 105 cases (96%) and ligature strangulation constitutes 04 cases (4%). Among 105 cases of deaths due to hanging, 61(58.09%) were male and 44(41.90%) were female with a mean age at death of 30.3 + 11.23. Hyoid bone was fractured in 4 cases (3.8%) and thyroid cartilage was fractured in 3 cases (2.85%) in cases of hanging. All the cases of fracture of hyoid bone (3.8%) and fracture of thyroid cartilage (2.85%) in death due to hanging were male.
Increase in age is the most important factor that contributes to fracture of hyoid bone in hanging.
Hanging, Ligature Strangulation, Hyoid Bone, Thyroid Cartilage, Fracture
