PULMONARY GIANT-CELLS AND THEIR SIGNIFICANCE FOR THE DIAGNOSIS OF ASPHYXIATION

This study was performed to prove whether the detection of polynuclear giant cells in lungs is useful for the diagnosis of asphyxiation due to throttling or strangulation. Therefore, lung specimens of 54 indivi duals with different natural and unnatural causes of death were invest igated. In most lungs examined numerous alveolar macrophages with 1-2 nuclei were found. Polynuclear giant cells, which were arbitrarily def ined as alveolar macrophages containing 3 or more nuclei, were observe d in all groups investigated except in the cases of hypoxia due to cov ering the head with plastic bags. Apparent differences between the oth er groups in particular an increased number in cases of throttling or strangulation, could not be observed. Immunohistochemical investigatio ns confirmed the hypothesis that the observed polynuclear giant cells were derived from alveolar macrophages. The immunohistochemical analys is of the proliferation marker antigen Ki 67 revealed no positive reac tion in the nuclei of polynuclear giant cells indicating that these ce lls had not developed shortly before death by endomitosis as an adapta tive change following reduction in oxygen supply. The results provide evidence that the detection of pulmonary polynuclear giant cells canno t be used as a practical indicator for death by asphyxiation due to th rottling or strangulation.