Role of periligature injuries in ante-mortem hanging: A hospital-based prospective study

Asphyxia in the hanging form is brought on by the body being suspended by a ligature around the neck, with the body's weight acting as a constriction. A person's presence of noose marks on his neck does not always indicate that he was conscious when he was hanged. A forensic pathologist must therefore be able to distinguish between real suicidal hanging and fake hanging. Two distinct indicators of antemortem hanging are periligature injuries and dried salivary stains flowing from the mouth's angle. Only few studies have been done on ligature material, periligature injuries, and the relationship between them, despite the fact that many have studied ligature markings in hanging. A prospective study was conducted from January 2024 to July 2024. Out of the 1276 autopsy performed, 231 cases of deaths attributed to hanging were examined. All necessary credentials & information were obtained from record and also gathered from police and inquest records; family histories, crime scene photos, and crime scene investigation reports. In a few cases, the crime scene was also studied. Virchow Technique was used to dissect the bodies. A detailed analysis was done. A total of 116 cases of deaths from reported hanging were examined in this prospective investigation. Men committed suicide by hanging themselves most frequently with nylon rope, while women used chunni/dupatta more frequently. In 11.2% of the instances, dried salivary stains showing saliva dribbling from angle of mouth were seen. 10.38% of cases had periligature injuries, which were determined to be abrasions with bleeding in 75% of cases and blisters in 25% of instances. The purpose of this research project is to highlight how crucial it is to examine periligature injuries and ligature material in order to ascertain the antemortem nature of hanging.