NCJ Number
217210
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 52 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2007 Pages: 16-20
Date Published
January 2007
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This study examined whether the tissue structure of bones that had been frozen and then thawed differed from that of bones that had not been frozen.
Abstract
Statistically, light microscopic analysis did not show significant differences in bones that had and had not been frozen; however, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed clear cracks that originated from the Haversian systems of frozen bone sections. Although this structural degradation presumably caused by liquid expansion suggested the frozen bone could be distinguished from nonfrozen bone, each Haversian canal did not display cracking. The t-tests found that the difference between the sizes of frozen and nonfrozen Haversian canals or lacunae were not significantly different from zero across the dataset. Additional studies should be performed on intact bones and at varying cross-sectional segments of the shaft of the bone. Theoretically, if a complete bone is frozen, it may react in a different manner than a segment, since the internal marrow will have nowhere to expand. In order to determine the effects of freezing on bone microstructure by using light and SEM, several human bone sections were subjected to prolonged freezing and allowed to thaw before thin sectioning. Eleven human limb samples were obtained from surgical procedures at the University of Tennessee Medical Center. Two of the limbs included all three lower limb elements. Eight of the limbs included only the tibia and fibula, and one limb included only the femur. The researcher did not know the age, sex, and ancestry of the individuals. In preparing the bones, precautions were taken to allow for a more realistic scenario for freezing the entire limb with the marrow cavity intact. In order to determine changes in the subunits of the thin sections, measurements were taken on 30 Haversian canals and 30 Lacunae. 7 figures, 3 tables, and 10 references