Laboratoire de Sciences Judiciaires et de Médecine Légale, Montreal, Canada.
Forensic Sci Int. 2011 Apr 15;207(1-3):122-6. doi: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2010.09.016. Epub 2010 Oct 16.
Several factors may play a role in the development of fractures of the neck structures in hanging. It has been repetitively demonstrated that the incidence of fractures increases with age. The role of other variables is less clear, different studies presenting contradictory results on the role of gender, the type of suspension, or the type of ligature. However, most of these studies evaluated these factors independently of the age of the victims. Considering that age is probably the most important factor in the development of neck structure fractures, all other contributing factors should be studied in relation to age. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the role of contributing factors to the development of neck structure fractures, taking age categories into account.
A total of 206 cases were analysed for the presence and localization of thyroid fracture. For each case, the following information was also compiled: the presence and localization of other neck structure fractures, gender and age, height and weight, body mass index (BMI) type of suspension (complete or incomplete), type of ligature used (rope, wire, clothes, sheet or lace) and localization of the knot (anterior, right, left or posterior).
The incidence of neck structure fractures increased with age (χ(2)=21.85; p<.001) and is significantly higher in male victims (31.4%) compared to female victims (11.8%) (χ(2)=5.41; p=.02). The incidence of fractures varied significantly with the height (t=2.19; p=.031; D=.33), weight (t=4.38; p<.001; D=.89) and BMI (t=3.84; p<.001; D=.60). The incidence of fractures did not vary significantly with the type of suspension (i.e. complete hanging with feet off the ground or incomplete hanging with body parts partially supporting the weight of the body) (χ(2)=3.12; p=.077; Phi=.077) and the type of ligature (i.e. narrow vs wide) (χ(2)=.05; p=.828; Phi=.015). However, when taking the age of the victims into account, a different picture was revealed: in individuals aged 40 years or more, victims with complete suspension of the body presented with a significantly higher incidence of fractures (63.2%) compared to victims with incomplete suspension (31.0%) (χ(2)=6.79; p=.009; Phi=.318).
Several variables contribute to the development of neck structure fractures in hanging. Age is probably the most important one. Other contributing factors are gender, height, weight, BMI and the type of suspension.
在悬吊中，颈部结构骨折的发生可能涉及多种因素。已有研究反复证明，骨折的发生率随年龄增长而增加。其他变量的作用则不太明确，不同的研究对性别、悬吊类型或结扎类型的作用得出了相互矛盾的结果。然而，这些研究大多独立于受害者的年龄评估这些因素。鉴于年龄可能是颈部结构骨折发展的最重要因素，所有其他相关因素都应结合年龄进行研究。本研究的目的是评估在考虑年龄因素的情况下，其他相关因素对颈部结构骨折发生的作用。
共分析了 206 例甲状腺骨折的存在和定位情况。对于每个病例，还收集了以下信息：其他颈部结构骨折的存在和定位、性别和年龄、身高和体重、体重指数（BMI）、悬吊类型（完全或不完全）、使用的结扎类型（绳索、金属丝、衣物、床单或花边）以及结的位置（前、右、左或后）。
颈部结构骨折的发生率随年龄增长而增加（χ²=21.85；p<.001），男性受害者（31.4%）明显高于女性受害者（11.8%）（χ²=5.41；p=.02）。骨折的发生率与身高（t=2.19；p=.031；D=.33）、体重（t=4.38；p<.001；D=.89）和 BMI（t=3.84；p<.001；D=.60）显著相关。骨折的发生率与悬吊类型（即双脚离地的完全悬吊或部分支撑体重的不完全悬吊）（χ²=3.12；p=.077；Phi=.077）和结扎类型（即窄结扎与宽结扎）（χ²=.05；p=.828；Phi=.015）无关。然而，当考虑到受害者的年龄时，情况则有所不同：40 岁及以上的个体中，完全悬吊的受害者骨折发生率明显高于不完全悬吊的受害者（63.2%比 31.0%）（χ²=6.79；p=.009；Phi=.318）。
在悬吊中，多种因素会导致颈部结构骨折的发生。年龄可能是最重要的因素。其他相关因素包括性别、身高、体重、BMI 和悬吊类型。
