title: Evaluation of trauma patterns in blast injuries using multiple correspondence analysis.
abstract: Anthropology features little in published literature about blast injuries. Contributions through case studies and experimental research are beginning to expand our understanding of the effect these injuries have on the human skeleton. This study examines blast injury and gunshot related fractures through multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) with the aim of establishing injury patterns between the two types of trauma. Using a sample of 491 individuals from Bosnia, MCA is employed to identify which body regions differentiate between blast or gunshot related fractures. Cranial fractures were more closely associated with gunshot related cases. Post-cranial fractures were associated with blast-related cases. A differentiation in post-cranial and cranial fractures between gunshot and blast related cases was revealed in the samples. The high prevalence of extremity trauma in blast is similar to previous work, but the smaller amount of cranial blast-related fractures differs from previous studies and from what is found in gunshot-related cases. Differentiation of blast and gunshot wound injuries can be made on the human skeleton and can be used to possibly interpret injury mechanism in large skeletal assemblages as well as single cases.
authors.affiliation: University of Pretoria, Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Basic Medical Sciences, Room 5-3, 9 Bophelo Way, Pretoria 0001, South Africa; Bournemouth University, Faculty of Science and Technology, Bournemouth, Fern Barrow, Poole, Dorset BH12 5BB, United Kingdom. Electronic address: Marie.dussault@up.ac.za.
authors.forename: Marie Christine
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Dussault
authors.affiliation: Bournemouth University, Faculty of Science and Technology, Bournemouth, Fern Barrow, Poole, Dorset BH12 5BB, United Kingdom. Electronic address: martinjsmith@bournemouth.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: International Commission on Missing Persons, Alipašina 45A, Sarajevo 71000, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Electronic address: Ian.hanson@icmp.int.
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Hanson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001753:Blast Injuries / Q000473:pathology*; D002648:Child; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015233:Models, Statistical; D014948:Wounds, Gunshot / Q000473:pathology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Anthropology; Blast; Gunshot; Multiple correspondence analysis; Trauma