title: Accuracy of MRI skeletal age estimation for subjects 12-19. Potential use for subjects of unknown age.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In forensic practice, there is a growing need for accurate methods of age estimation, especially in the cases of young individuals of unknown age. Age can be estimated through somatic features that are universally considered associated with chronological age. Unfortunately, these features do not always coincide with the real chronological age: for these reasons that age determination is often very difficult. Our aim is to evaluate accuracy of skeletal age estimation using Tomei's MRI method in subjects between 12 and 19 years old for forensic purposes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two investigators analyzed MRI images of the left hand and wrist of 77 male and 74 female caucasian subjects, without chronic diseases or developmental disorders, whose age ranged from 12 to 19 years. Skeletal maturation was determined by two operators, who analyzed all MRI images separately, in blinded fashion to the chronological age. Inter-rater agreement was measured with Pearson (R (2)) coefficient. One of the examiners repeated the evaluation after 6 months, and intraobserver variation was analyzed. Bland-Altman plots were used to determine mean differences between skeletal and chronological age.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Inter-rater agreement Pearson coefficient showed a good linear correlation, respectively, 0.98 and 0.97 in males and females. Bland-Altman analysis demonstrated that the differences between chronological and skeletal age are not significant. Spearman's correlation coefficient showed good correlation between skeletal and chronological age both in females (R (2) = 0.96) and in males (R (2) = 0.94).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results show that MRI skeletal age is a reproducible method and has good correlation with chronological age.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Histology, Forensic Medicine and Orthopedics, "Sapienza-University of Rome", Viale Regina Elena 336, 00161, Rome, Italy, s.serinelli@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Serenella
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Serinelli
authors.forename: Valeria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Panebianco
authors.forename: Milvia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Martino
authors.forename: Sofia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Battisti
authors.forename: Karina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rodacki
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Marinelli
authors.forename: Fulvio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zaccagna
authors.forename: Richard C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Semelka
authors.forename: Ernesto
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tomei
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000365:Age Determination by Skeleton / Q000379:methods*; D002348:Carpal Bones / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006132:Growth Plate / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D050276:Hand Bones / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D015588:Observer Variation; D010012:Osteogenesis / Q000502:physiology; D012016:Reference Values; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D055815:Young Adult