Histomorphologic study of cervical spinal cord in hanging death

Introduction: Forensic pathology has always paid great attention to neck lesions in hanging cases. Nevertheless, the precise physiopathologic mechanism involved in these forms of mechanical asphyxia have a histomorphologic study performed on the cervical spinal cord of hanging cases and it is aimed to evaluate the eventual occurrence of morphologic patterns and their pathogenetic role. Material and Methods: cervical spinal cords were collected from 25 cases of suicide by hanging that underwent autopsy in the local Institute of legal Medicine. As a control group, the spinal cord of 10 cases dead by natural causes was collected too. Five samples of each spinal cord, which had been fixed in formaline, were selected, included in paraffin and processed with routine histochemical stains /hematoxyline-eosine) and special ones (Vogt' method for Nissl bodies, Woelcke's method for myelin, Bielschowsky method for neuron and their processes). A total amount of 800 prepared slides were observed through the light microscope and cases and controls were compared in order to estimate eventual morphologic differences. Results and Conclusions: Specific morphologic patterns (spinal cord oedema, subaracnoid and perivascular haematic extravasation) and aspecific ones (vesicular appearance of myelin, chromatolisis, corpora amylacea) were observed and their prevalence was assessed through statistical method. A physiopathologic interpretation of the findings has been given too