Structural Peculiarities of Long Bones of the Lower Extremity in Forensic Medicine Practical Work

Bachynskyi V. T., Olkhovskyi V. O., Tymchuk M. R., Malyshev V. V.

FORENSIC MEDICINE

Scentific article

Structural properties of the human skeletal bones during solution of forensic-medical expert tasks have been disclosed on the basis of the analysis of scientific literature findings and own research. Their role in forensic-medical practical work to determine and substantiate the mechanisms of long bone fractures of the lower extremities is indicated. The objective of the research is to study structural peculiarities of long bones of the lower extremities with the aim to find their influence upon the mechanisms of fracture formation of these bones. The subject of the research is structural peculiarities of long bones of the lower extremities. 36 bones with fractures have been examined: 18 femoral and 18 tibial bones. The main structural-functional peculiarities of the femoral and tibial bones having a considerable influence upon the main regularities in destructive process have been detected by means of the method of a comparative analysis. Two main kinds of the osseous tissue are found in the macrostructure of long tubular bones: solid and spongy. Physical impact is mainly received by the solid osseous tissue. It consists of thin osseous lamellas arranged in a certain direction changed depending on a part of the bone and are connected together by means of mucoid substance. In the structure of the femoral and tibial bones the solid substance forms their diaphysis, and the spongy one – their epiphysis. Three main layers are found on the transverse sections in diaphysis of these bones: external and internal consisting of general lamellas, and the middle layer consisting of osteons. The effect of blunt hard subjects on the long tubular bones in a transverse direction (a road accident, direct effect of a blunt subject) to their transverse axis results in bending with the formation of prominence on the opposite side from the place where force was applied. In this place (tension zone) breaking of the lamellas and osteons are found with the following formation of a relatively smooth comparable line of fracture, which waviness and porosity increase gradually approaching to the medullary canal. In case of the angle action to the longitudinal axis of the bone the main line of fracture will be of an oblique- transverse character. In the place where force was applied a concave bone surface is formed (compression zone) with the formation of crumbling, pieces and fragments of the solid tissue resulting from the action of separate bone layers approaching one another. In case force is applied along the axis of the tubular bones (falling from a height), load is slowed at the expense of compression and deformation of trabecules of the spongy tissue of their epiphysis. If it is stronger than hardness of the osseous tissue, impacted (driven-in) fractures are formed due to the penetration of harder solid substance of diaphysis into the spongy substance of epiphysis. In case of extremely heavy longitudinal load, longitudinal and oblique fractures of diaphysis of the long tubular bones of the lower extremities may occur. Thus, consideration of structural peculiarities of long tubular bones of the lower extremities in practical work of forensic medicine is essential for reliable detection of the mechanism of their injury. The study of tibial structural peculiarities and their comparison in the complex with the femoral bone is rather prospective.

structural peculiarities, long bones, lower extremity, forensic medicine

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«Bulletin of problems biology and medicine» Issue 3 part 3 (112), 2014 year, 333-335 pages, index UDK 616. 718 – 001. 5 – 073 : 340. 6