A Comparative Analysis on the Histomorphometric Pattern of Various Segments of Adult Male Long Bones: Forensic Implication

Abstract

Background: Human bone analysis is a useful tool in assessing and identifying skeletal remains. To make this easier, newer and modified approaches have often being documented. Aims and Objectives: The aim of this study is to analyze the histomorphometric features of various bone segments and its relevance in forensic case diagnosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The human bones used were that of cadaveric bone samples harvested from three adult male Nigerians. The proximal, midshaft and distal segments of the femur, tibia, and humerus were utilized for the study. The bone sections were subjected to processing using Frost’s rapid manual preparation of ground sections techniques. Histomorphometric evaluation studied the number of primary osteons, secondary osteons, and osteon fragments, as well as the Haversian canal diameter (HCD). Results: The primary osteons, secondary osteons, osteon fragments, and HCD in each of the segments of the long bones show that the F values are less than the F critical for an alpha level of 0.05. This shows that there is no statistically significant (P > 0.05) variation in the histomorphometric pattern for the various segments of the bones studied. Again differences in the haversian canal diameter of the various segments of the long bones shows statistically significant variation (P< 0.05) among the long bones investigated. Conclusion: These findings have laid to rest the challenges with using the only available bone fragment for forensic case investigation as no notable variations exist across various segments.

Keywords

• bone
• comparative histology
• forensic anthropology
• haversian canals
• osteons