NCJ Number
53164
Journal
Zeitschrift fuer Rechtsmedizin Volume: 81 Issue: 2, Dated: (1978) Pages: 133-146
Date Published
1978
Length
14 pages
Annotation
THE EFFECTS OF STRANGULATION ON PULMONARY CIRCULATION ARE ASSESSED FROM HISTOLOGICAL EXAMINATIONS OF LUNG TISSUE FROM 34 VICTIMS OF STRANGULATION.
Abstract
IN 10 CASES, HISTOLOGICAL EXAMINATION IS PERFORMED ON 5 TO 7 SAMPLES OF LUNG TISSUE STAINED WITH HE AND 3 TO 7 FROZEN SECTIONS STAINED WITH SUDAN IV. IN 24 CASES, 10 TO 15 SAMPLES ARE STAINED WITH GIEMSA, HE, PAS, PAPPENHEIM, PTAH, ALPHA-NAPHTHOLE ESTERASE, NAPHTHOLE-ASD-CL-ESTERASE, AZAN, MALLORY, MASSON-GOLDNER, AND FOR SEMITHIN SECTIONS, TOLUIDINE BLUE. RESULTS SHOW TYPICAL INTRAALVEOLAR LUNG CONGESTION, HYPEREMIA, HEMORRHAGES, AND VACUOLAR DEGENERATION OF THE ENDOTHELIUM; VARIABLE QUALITATIVE CHANGES IN VASCULAR CONTENTS, E.G., SOME FAT EMBOLISMS, SOME BONE MARROW EMBOLISMS, AND DISSEMINATED AND AGGREGATED INTRAVASAL CELLS; AND SOME SLIGHT QUANTITATIVE CHANGES IN VESSEL CONTENT. THE COLLECTIONS OF CELLS ARE PREDOMINANTLY IMMATURE POLYMORPHOUS BONE-MARROW CELLS WITH A STRONGLY POSITIVE NAPHTHOLE-ASD-CL-ESTERASE REACTION, INDICATING THAT THEY ARE MYELOPOETIC; SOME LEUCOCYTES WITH ROD-SHAPED NUCLEI AND A FEW GRANULOCYTES ARE ALSO PRESENT. CELL AGGREGATES, BONE-NARROW EMBOLISMS, AND FAT EMBOLISMS ARE FOUND IN ARTERIAL VESSELS, WITH DISSEMINATED CELLS IN CAPILLARIES AND VEINS. THESE FINDINGS ARE SIMILAR TO RESULTS OF OTHER STUDIES. THE VARYING DEGREES OF VESSEL CONTENT CHANGES SUGGEST THAT THE ASPHYXIA REACTION IS DIFFERENT IN OLDER INDIVIDUALS. IT IS CONCLUDED THAT THE CHANGES OBSERVED ARE TYPICAL IN DEATH STRANGULATION, THAT NUMEROUS LUNG SAMPLES, PREFERABLY STAINED WITH GIEMSA, ARE REQUIRED FOR HISTOLOGICAL EXAMINATION, AND THAT SAMPLES MUST BE TAKEN EARLY BECAUSE OF RAPID POST-MORTEM CHANGES. IN ADDITION, OTHER CAUSES OF DEATH MUST BE CONSIDERED FORENSICALLY IN CASES OF CORPSES FOUND IN A HANGING SITUATION WITHOUT MACROSCOPIC, BIOCHEMICAL, OR HISTOCHEMICAL SIGNS OF HANGING AND WITHOUT THE LUNG CHANGES DESCRIBED. AN EXTENSIVE BIBLIOGRPHY, SEVEN ILLUSTRATIONS, AND ONE TABLE ARE FURNISHED. --IN GERMAN. (KMD)