NCJ Number
208578
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 50 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2005 Pages: 143-146
Date Published
January 2005
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Based on a series of 1,532 autopsies, this study determined the incidence of hyperostosis frontalis interna (HFI), a bone condition that mainly affects the inner table of the frontal bone, and its association with other pathological conditions that might impact age and sex determination from skeletal remains.
Abstract
Age and sex apparently are linked with the preponderance of HFI. In examining the prevalence of this condition and its relation to other pathological conditions, the current study involved a review of 1,532 autopsies conducted at a hospital in Marseille, France, between January 1, 1999, and December 31, 2002. Thirteen cases of HFI were diagnosed in 12 women and 1 man, who were between the ages of 42 and 79 years at the time of their deaths. These cases manifested the symptoms of HFI types C and D, the two most pronounced stages of the four HFI stages identified by Hershkovitz et al. In one case, HFI was associated with asymmetric cerebral atrophy, in two cases with pituitary hypertrophy, and in one case with hyperostosis cranialis diffusa, a generalized thickening of the calvaria. The identification of HFI from the condition of the bones in skeletal remains is an important component of medico-legal identification; it contributes to individual identification by allowing comparison with the elements of the judicial inquiry, and it reinforces the reliability of sex and age determination by classic methods. It is necessary, therefore, for those who are involved in the analysis of skeletal remains to be familiar with the various manifestations of HFI. HFI should be considered a supplementary factor in the explanation of hypotheses relating to an unidentified individual, particularly in the skeletal state. 1 table, 3 figures, and 12 references