Investigations on the Cellular and Morphologic Characteristics of Cranial Vault Fracture: Research and Development of a Time Since Fracture Protocol and Database, Arizona and Michigan, 2017-2020

The primary objective of this study was to determine the histological features associated with fracture repair in the human cranial vault, and to derive the trajectory of these features over the course of healing. Variations in the fracture repair process due to decedent age and type of injury were explored. The impacts of laboratory techniques, including decalcification and histological staining, upon the quality of fracture histology slides were also assessed. Calvarial fracture samples were collected from medical examiner cases and body donations from January 1, 2017 to November 31, 2020 for use in the analyses and for the creation of the Repository of Antemortem Injury Response (REPAIR), a deidentified online database of known-age cranial fractures and defects.