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Review
. 2020 Jan;134(1):267-272.
doi: 10.1007/s00414-019-02197-9. Epub 2019 Nov 16.

Relationship between bullet diameter and bullet defect diameter in human calvariums

W Kerkhoff  1 , E J A T Mattijssen  2   3 , E A Zwanenburg  4 , R J Oostra  5
Affiliations
Review

Relationship between bullet diameter and bullet defect diameter in human calvariums

W Kerkhoff et al. Int J Legal Med. 2020 Jan.

Abstract

Existing literature on the relationship between bullet diameter and bullet defect diameter in the human calvarium is summarized and discussed. The hypothesis, derived from the literature, that bullet deformation influences bullet defect diameter was studied in a small controlled experiment. The mean defect size caused by non-deforming projectiles was found to be smaller than the mean defect size caused by deforming projectiles of equal original mass and size. The p value of the difference between the two means, measured in two different ways, was found to be 0.002 for both in a Mann-Whitney U test and was significant if the confidence level is set at 5%.

Keywords: Bullet defect; Bullet deformation; Calvarium; Cranium; Human bone; Skull.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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