title: Causes of laryngeal cartilage and hyoid bone fractures found at postmortem.
abstract: The principal aims of this retrospective study were to assess the prevalence and causes of laryngo-hyoid fractures found in coroners' adult postmortem examinations over a five-year period. In 78 of 1930 cases (4%), there was a fracture of the larynx (thyroid or cricoid cartilage) or hyoid bone. The thyroid cartilage alone was fractured in 38 cases; the hyoid bone alone was fractured in 19 cases; the larynx and hyoid bone were both fractured in 21 cases, including one which involved the cricoid cartilage. There was no evidence of surface injury to the neck in 14.1% of cases. The majority (44/78; 56.4%) involved classical manual or ligature 'pressure to the neck', i.e. hanging (32) or strangulation (12) but a significant minority (35.9%) involved other circumstances: road/rail traffic collision (12; 15.4%); falls (6; 7.7%); assaults involving blunt force trauma to the head and neck (4; 5.1%); incised wounds (3; 3.8%); gunshot wounds (2; 2.6%); and explosion (1; 1.3%). The circumstances of death and cause of fracture(s) were 'unascertained' in four cases (5.1%). Postmortem artefact accounted for two cases (2.6%).
authors.affiliation: FP2 Psychiatry, St. Tydfils Hospital, Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales, UK. dunsby@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Ann-Marie
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Dunsby
authors.forename: Andrew M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Davison
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls; D000063:Accidents, Traffic; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001237:Asphyxia / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D049429:Forensic Pathology; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D050724:Fractures, Cartilage / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D006928:Hyoid Bone / Q000293:injuries* / Q000473:pathology; D007817:Laryngeal Cartilages / Q000293:injuries* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013957:Thyroid Cartilage / Q000293:injuries* / Q000473:pathology; D006113:United Kingdom; D014947:Wounds and Injuries; D055815:Young Adult