Age Dependent Mechanical Properties of the Infant Porcine Parietal Bone and a Correlation to the Human

Abstract

An infant less than 18 months of age with a skull fracture has a 1 in 3 chance of abuse [1]. While the parietal bone is most often the site of fracture, an abusive situation is difficult to diagnose based on characteristics of the fracture alone [2]. Age of the child is one important factor in determining abuse. Injury biomechanics are often used in the investigation of cases suspected to involve child abuse [3]. In addition to case-based investigations, computer modeling, and test dummies, animal model studies can aid in these investigations. While the relationship between animal studies and human pediatric patients is yet unclear, some animal models have emerged in the current literature. A study by Margulies and Thibault [4] made an attempt to correlate the mechanical behavior of human infant cranial bone to porcine infant cranial bone. The study suggests that weeks of pig age may correlate to months in the human. Yet, an 18 week old pig is considered to be in adolescence. The current study was conducted to determine the mechanical properties of parietal bone and coronal suture in porcine infants of a younger age than previous studies and correlate the bending properties of the bone to existing human data.