The diagnostic significance of haemorrhage of the posterior cricoarytenoidmuscles

A number of authors have indicated that haemorrhage of the posterior cricoa rytenoid (PCA) muscles can be used as a diagnostic criterion to establish t he cause of death. Other authors even consider it to be 'forensic evidence' when differentiating between natural and violent death. They agree on agon al asphyxia or dyspnoea as a developmental mechanism, possibly in combinati on with a 'convulsive' dilatation of the glottic cleft. In view of this dif ference of opinion, we conducted a study of our own. Retrospective evaluati on of 2060 post-mortem examinations performed in 1996 at the Institute of F orensic Medicine of the University of Munich disclosed 28 cases demonstrati ng visible haemorrhage of the PCA muscles. The study revealed no correlatio n between these findings and certain causes of death, nor any indication of certain mechanisms of development.