ABSTRACT
The neck is a relatively narrow and unprotected part of the human body, while it contains many vital anatomic structures. Many injuries to the neck have therefore fatal potential, and neck injuries are among the most frequently encountered in forensic pathology practice. Fatal neck injuries can be grouped based on their mechanism, and classified as compressive trauma, non-compressive blunt force trauma and sharp force trauma respectively. A special subtype of compressive neck trauma is presented by the so-called “sexual asphyxias”. This Chapter provides a detailed discussion of the various types of fatal neck injury, their classification, and their autopsy findings. It is furthermore discussed how the various autopsy findings can be used to determine cause, mechanism and manner of death. Special emphasis is placed on compressive neck trauma since this is the most frequently encountered type of fatal neck trauma in most forensic pathology practices.
