LABANOF Laboratorio di Antropologia e Odontologia Forense, Sezione di Medicina Legale, Dipartimento di Morfologia Umana e Scienze Biomediche, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy.
Int J Legal Med. 2011 Jul;125(4):591-5. doi: 10.1007/s00414-011-0570-9. Epub 2011 Apr 13.
The distinction between perimortem and postmortem fractures in forensic anthropology is still a frequently unsolved issue. In the present study, we try to verify if there are differences in the pattern of osteon fracturing between fresh and dry bone which could be used for such a diagnosis. Fresh and dry long bones were fractured by a hammer at the mid-shaft perpendicularly to the long axis of the bone and the fracture margins examined under a light microscope as undecalcified sections. Examination of 982 osteons (505 fresh, 477 dry) showed that twice as often the fracture line crosses the osteons as opposed to travelling around them, independently of whether the bone is fresh or dry. Statistical analysis confirmed that there was no significant difference between fresh and dry bone. This seems to imply that osteon fracture pattern cannot help in the diagnosis of perimortem versus postmortem bone fractures. Further research however must be performed concerning fast and slow energy dispersal which may have an influence on the type of fracture inflicted.
在法医人类学中，生前和死后骨折的区分仍然是一个经常未解决的问题。在本研究中，我们试图验证新鲜和干燥骨中骨单位断裂模式是否存在差异，这些差异可用于此类诊断。使用锤子将新鲜和干燥的长骨在中段沿长轴垂直地断裂，并将断裂边缘作为未脱钙切片在光显微镜下检查。对 982 个骨单位（505 个新鲜，477 个干燥）的检查表明，骨折线穿过骨单位的次数是绕过骨单位的两倍，无论骨骼是新鲜的还是干燥的。统计分析证实，新鲜骨和干燥骨之间没有显著差异。这似乎意味着骨单位断裂模式无助于生前与死后骨骨折的诊断。然而，必须进一步研究快速和慢速能量耗散，这可能会影响所造成的骨折类型。
