title: The tolerance of the frontal bone to blunt impact.
abstract: The current understanding of the tolerance of the frontal bone to blunt impact is limited. Previous studies have utilized vastly different methods, which limits the use of statistical analyses to determine the tolerance of the frontal bone. The purpose of this study is to determine the tolerance of the frontal bone to blunt impact. Acoustic emission sensors were used to provide a noncensored measure of the frontal bone tolerance and were essential due to the increase in impactor force after fracture onset. In this study, risk functions for fracture were developed using parametric and nonparametric techniques. The results of the statistical analyses suggest that a 50% risk of frontal bone fracture occurs at a force between 1885 N and 2405 N. Subjects that were found to have a frontal sinus present within the impacted region had a significantly higher risk of sustaining a fracture. There was no association between subject age and fracture force. The results of the current study suggest that utilizing peak force as an estimate of fracture tolerance will overestimate the force necessary to create a frontal bone fracture.
authors.affiliation: Biodynamic Research Corporation, San Antonio, TX 78249, USA.
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cormier
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Manoogian
authors.forename: Jill
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bisplinghoff
authors.forename: Steve
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rowson
authors.forename: Anthony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Santago
authors.forename: Craig
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: McNally
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Duma
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bolte
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000886:Anthropometry; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D005624:Frontal Bone / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000293:injuries / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012306:Risk; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed