Pattern of Death Due Hanging Special Emphasized on Neck cartilages

Abstract

introduction: Commonest form of asphyxial death come across during autopsy in the country is Hanging. The present study was carried out to studying the pattern of fracture in hyoid bone and neck cartilage (thyroid cartilage and cricoids) in deaths due to hanging in the Department of Forensic Medicine, M. P. Shah Govt. Medical College, Jamnagar. We found that death due to compression of ligature seen maximum in the age group of 21-30 years (36.9%), males are accounted for 43% as compared to 57% in females. Ligature material used was dupatta in 43.68% of cases. In hanging ligature mark was oblique, above thyroid cartilage, going backward and laterally. In the majority cases, the ligature mark was above the thyroid cartilage (88% cases), followed by at and above the thyroid cartilage (10% cases) and only in 1 case the ligature mark was below the thyroid cartilage. In maximum cases, the position of the knot was present at the occipital region of the neck (49% cases), followed by the left mastoid region (30% cases). In the majority of cases, the ligature mark was prominent and discontinuous. Hyoid fracture was found in only 8.05% cases. There was only 1 case with thyroidcartilage fracture and no case of cricoidcartilage fracture.