HEMORRHAGES IN THE POSTERIOR CRICOARYTENOID MUSCLES - AN UNSPECIFIC AUTOPSY FINDING

Atraumatic haemorrhages in the posterior cricoarytenoid (PCA) muscles can be observed for from 1% to 9% of various causes of death. It has b een claimed that there is an association between these findings and th e cause of death, particularly coronary death. Additionally it has bee n assumed that haemorrhages in the PCA muscles may be caused by an asp hyxial mechanism and it has even been suggested that the haemorrhages may be a ''sign'' which could be used to differentiate between natural and unnatural death. Because of the differing views we carried out ad ditional research into the course of these haemorrhages. Six character istic cases out of 2060 autopsies with macroscopically diagnosed haemo rrhages in the PCA muscles are presented. The six cases included acute heart failure, death caused by bolus, drowning, trauma of brain and s kull, exsanguination from polytrauma and choking after aspiration of v omit. These cases were completely different with regard to all the cir cumstances of death. On the basis of these findings and in contrast to the literature it cannot be shown that proofs exist for a correlation between the haemorrhages and the causes and the manner of death. As a consequence it must be stated that haemorrhages in the PCA muscles do not have any diagnostic significance. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Irela nd Ltd. All rights reserved.