TY - JOUR

T1 - Is acute alveolar dilation an indicator of strangulation homicide?

AU - Klysner, Anne

AU - Lynnerup, Niels

AU - Hougen, Hans Petter

PY - 2011/4

Y1 - 2011/4

N2 - Some cases of suspected homicidal strangulation are difficult to diagnose if the classical injuries of strangulation are few or lacking. The main purpose of this study was to determine if abnormal distension of alveolar airspaces is present in strangulation deaths and whether or not it can be used to support this diagnosis. Another purpose was to see how often the gross examination of the lungs was in agreement with the microscopic examination. The material comprised 33 victims of homicidal strangulation above the age of 15 years, autopsied at the Department of Forensic Medicine in Copenhagen between 1998 and 2007. The results were compared with a control group of the same size, matched for gender and age, all of whom died naturally of cerebral or other neurological causes. The autopsy reports provided the results of the gross examination of the lungs. Regular haematoxylin-eosin stained sections were made from the histological specimens. The microscopic examination was performed by computerized image analysis using stereological methods in an attempt to objectify the observations. The results showed an almost complete concordance between the findings of the gross and the microscopic examination. Stereologically the study showed that the alveoli in the strangulation cases were twice the size of those in the control group which was highly statistically significant concluding that abnormal distension of alveolar airspaces.

AB - Some cases of suspected homicidal strangulation are difficult to diagnose if the classical injuries of strangulation are few or lacking. The main purpose of this study was to determine if abnormal distension of alveolar airspaces is present in strangulation deaths and whether or not it can be used to support this diagnosis. Another purpose was to see how often the gross examination of the lungs was in agreement with the microscopic examination. The material comprised 33 victims of homicidal strangulation above the age of 15 years, autopsied at the Department of Forensic Medicine in Copenhagen between 1998 and 2007. The results were compared with a control group of the same size, matched for gender and age, all of whom died naturally of cerebral or other neurological causes. The autopsy reports provided the results of the gross examination of the lungs. Regular haematoxylin-eosin stained sections were made from the histological specimens. The microscopic examination was performed by computerized image analysis using stereological methods in an attempt to objectify the observations. The results showed an almost complete concordance between the findings of the gross and the microscopic examination. Stereologically the study showed that the alveoli in the strangulation cases were twice the size of those in the control group which was highly statistically significant concluding that abnormal distension of alveolar airspaces.

KW - Adolescent

KW - Adult

KW - Aged

KW - Aged, 80 and over

KW - Asphyxia

KW - Case-Control Studies

KW - Dilatation, Pathologic

KW - Female

KW - Forensic Pathology

KW - Homicide

KW - Humans

KW - Lung

KW - Male

KW - Middle Aged

KW - Pulmonary Alveoli

KW - Young Adult

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 21793473

VL - 51

SP - 102

EP - 105

JO - Medicine, Science and the Law

JF - Medicine, Science and the Law

SN - 0025-8024

IS - 2

ER -