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Updated: Oct 7, 2025
Scanning Skeletal Remains for Bone Mineral Density in Forensic Contexts
Published on: January 29, 2018
The Repository of Antemortem Injury Response (REPAIR): an online database for skeletal injuries of known ages
Carolyn V Isaac1, Jered B Cornelison2, Joseph A Prahlow2
1Department of Anthropology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA. cvisaac@msu.edu.
Abstract:
An accurate assessment of time since fracture is an essential component of abuse and death investigations; however, little evidence-based research exists on dating fractures, especially those of the cranial vault. This is primarily due to difficulties in procuring human fracture specimens of known posttraumatic survival times. The aim of this article is to introduce a new database through which limitations imposed by sample procurement may be mitigated. The Repository of Antemortem Injury Response (REPAIR) is a digitally accessible database of cranial vault fractures of known ages with extensive contextual information and visual documentation in the form of photography, radiography, and histological photomicrographs. This repository is a multifunctional tool that serves as a case submission portal for cranial fractures of known posttraumatic survival time, a sample database for research on fracture healing and rates of repair, a resource for comparative assessments of cranial fractures in forensic casework, and an educational tool for healing fracture histomorphology.
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