Lange-Herr, Nicolas; Tschui, Joëlle Beatrice; Klaus, Jeremias; Baglivo, Manuela; Schlottke, Emilie; Zech, Wolf-Dieter (2024). A case of hemorrhage at the junctions of the posterior intercostal arteries-a vital sign? (In Press). International journal of legal medicine Springer 10.1007/s00414-024-03261-9
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The authors present the case of a 58-year-old man found hanging from a radiator by his shoelaces. The time of death was approximately 6 h before the body was discovered. An autopsy was performed approximately 24 h after the body was found, which revealed hemorrhages in the thoracic aorta at the junctions of the posterior intercostal arteries. Before autopsy, a routine whole-body CT scan was performed. Histologic examination of the aorta and the posterior intercostal arteries revealed a fresh hemorrhage into the tunica adventitia of the aorta. To our knowledge, there is no case description of such findings in hanged persons in the literature. Conclusion: Hemorrhages into the tunica adventitia of the junction of the posterior costal arteries may occur in association with suicidal hanging. The significance of these hemorrhages as a sign of vitality may be debated.
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