RESUMO
OBJECTIVES: To measure and quantitatively compare the degree of force dissipation in pediatric and adult skulls subjected to similar dynamic forces. DESIGN: An anatomical study using electronic speckle pattern interferometry, which allows generation of displacement vectors after application of a force. SUBJECTS: Five human skulls (3 pediatric and 2 adult). INTERVENTION: Each skull was subjected to a reproducible and quantifiable force created by a steel ball pendulum striking a precise periorbital focus: (1) infraorbital foramen, (2) supraorbital notch, (3) malar eminence, and (4) nasofrontal suture. Electronic speckle pattern interferometry was used to construct interferogram fringe patterns to determine skull regions with the greatest degree of displacement. RESULTS: Interferogram analysis revealed that the adult skull has a tendency to dissipate force with minimal resultant displacement. In contrast, the pediatric skulls demonstrated greater displacements (ie, increased fringe density) at the same periorbital foci. CONCLUSIONS: The pediatric skull dissipates periorbital stress differently than the adult skull, as illustrated by quantitative interferogram analysis. This finding parallels clinical data that demonstrate a varying pattern of fractures in pediatric and adult skulls related to craniofacial development.
