Age at death estimation of adult males using coxal bone and CT scan: a preliminary study.
BACKGROUND
Age at death estimation is of major importance for the forensic scientist. Currently, various methods have used macroscopic osseous criteria for articular surfaces. Particularly in the pelvis, articular surfaces are used to classify bone evolution and age. The objective was to assess coxal bone computed tomography (CT) scan procedure to initially estimate adult male age at death and model this age using quantitative measurements.


METHODS
The material used included 33 coxal bones obtained from adult males of known age. Samples were obtained from 27 males during forensic autopsies and the 6 remaining samples were collected by the Normandy Whole Body Donation Center. Criteria of all bone samples were measured by CT scan. The criteria were inspired by previous osseous anthropological methods for age estimation using coxal symphyseal, auricular and acetabular surfaces. Inter- and intra-reproducibility of each criterion was calculated. Then, correlation to age at death of the reproducible variables was calculated.


RESULTS
Correlation factors were used. These link CT scan criteria data to age at death. Reproducible criteria included in the analysis as reproducible and correlated to age were: auricular surface apex activity, symphyseal ventral rampart and acetabular fossa porosity.


CONCLUSIONS
The results suggest that research using CT scan criteria data could be a useful forensic tool to determine age at death.
Ferrant
Ophélie
O
Unité de Médecine Légale, Hôpital Côte de Nacre, Avenue de Côte de Nacre, 14033 Caen Cedex 5, France. ferrant-o@chu-caen.fr
Rougé-Maillart
Clotilde
C
Guittet
Lydia
L
Papin
Frédérique
F
Clin
Bénédicte
B
Fau
Georges
G
Telmon
Norbert
N
D000328:Adult; D000365:Age Determination by Skeleton / Q000379:methods*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018732:Forensic Anthropology / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010384:Pelvic Bones / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed