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Micro-computed Tomography Study of Frontal Bones in Males and Females with Hyperostosis Frontalis Interna

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Abstract

Hyperostosis frontalis interna (HFI) represents irregular thickening of the endocranial surface of the frontal bone, mostly seen in postmenopausal females. The microarchitecture of this condition is poorly studied. The aim of this cross-sectional autopsy study was to investigate and compare microarchitectural structure of the frontal bone affected with HFI in both sexes and to test whether HFI severity could be distinguished at the microarchitectural level. The sample was taken from human donor cadavers, 19 males (61 ± 15 years old) and 17 females (75 ± 15 years old). After classification of HFI severity (type A, B, C or D), samples of the frontal bone were taken and scanned using micro-computed tomography. Bone volume fraction was higher and total porosity lower only in the outer table of males with HFI, compared to females with HFI. Mean total sample thickness differed only between males with HFI type A and D. Bone microarchitecture between males and females with corresponding HFI types (e.g., male with type A versus female with type A) differed only in HFI type C regarding the fractal dimension of diploe. The degree of anisotropy differed between HFI subtypes in males, but the post hoc analysis revealed no significant differences between individual groups. Other microarchitectural parameters did not differ among males with different HFI subtypes, as well in females, in any part of the frontal bone. There is no difference in microarchitectural structure of the frontal bone between males and females with HFI, in general aspect and within corresponding HFI subtypes. HFI severity could not be distinguished at the microarchitectural level, neither in males nor in females.

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Data are available upon request.

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Funding

This work was supported by Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia [Grant Number 45005].

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Belgrade – School of Medicine, 31a Deligradska Str., Belgrade, 11000, Serbia

    Danica Cvetković, Slobodan Nikolić & Vladimir Živković

  2. Laboratory for Anthropology and Skeletal Biology, Institute for Anatomy, University of Belgrade – School of Medicine, Dr. Subotica 4/2, Belgrade, 11000, Serbia

    Jelena Jadžić, Petar Milovanović, Danijela Djonić, Marija Djurić & Djurdja Bracanović

  3. Department of Radiology, University of Belgrade – School of Dentistry, 4 Rankeova Str., Belgrade, 11000, Serbia

    Djurdja Bracanović

Authors
  1. Danica Cvetković
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  2. Jelena Jadžić
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  3. Petar Milovanović
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  4. Danijela Djonić
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  5. Marija Djurić
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  6. Djurdja Bracanović
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  7. Slobodan Nikolić
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  8. Vladimir Živković
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Vladimir Živković.

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Conflict of interest

Danica Cvetković, Jelena Jadžić, Petar Milovanović, Danijela Djonić, Marija Djurić, Djurdja Bracanović, Slobodan Nikolić, and Vladimir Živković declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

This study was performed in line with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Approval was granted by the Ethics Committee of the School of Medicine, University of Belgrade (Approval No. 2650/XII-14).

Informed Consent

The sample collection was the part of the routine autopsy procedure, therefore formal consent was not necessary.

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Cvetković, D., Jadžić, J., Milovanović, P. et al. Micro-computed Tomography Study of Frontal Bones in Males and Females with Hyperostosis Frontalis Interna. Calcif Tissue Int 107, 345–352 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00223-020-00730-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00223-020-00730-2

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