title: [Reliability of the individual age assessment at the time of death based on sternal rib end morphology in Balkan population].
abstract: This paper analyzes the reliability of the Iscan's sternal rib-ends phase method for the assessment of individual age at the time of death in the Balkan population. The method is based on the morphological age changes of the sternal rib ends. The tested samples consisted of 65 ribs from autopsy cases in the Institute for Forensic Medicine, University of Belgrade, during 1999-2002 (23 females, and 42 males of various ages, ranged from 17-91 years), according to the forensic documents. Significant differences between the real chronological age of the individuals and the values established by the Iscan's method was found, especially in the older categories (phases 6 and 7), in both males and females. The results of the discriminative analysis showed the values of the highest diagnostic relevance for the assessment of age in our population: the change of the depth of the articular fossa, the thickness of its walls, and the quality of the bones.
authors.affiliation: Medicinski fakultet, Institut za anatomiju--Laboratorija za antropologiju, Beograd, Srbija i Crna Gora. ddjonic@eunet.yu
authors.forename: Danijela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Donić
authors.forename: Marija
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Durić
authors.forename: Dragan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Babić
authors.forename: Dorde
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Popović
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000365:Age Determination by Skeleton / Q000379:methods*; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000473:pathology; D003643:Death; D005260:Female; D005554:Forensic Medicine; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012272:Ribs / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D013249:Sternum / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D015022:Yugoslavia