title: Practical relevance of prescribing superimposition for determining a frontal sinus pattern match.
abstract: A research that tested the methods suitable for comparing ante- and post-mortem radiographic patterns of frontal sinuses concluded that superimposition should be followed as a stringent method for establishing individual identification. We verified the practical relevance of prescribing superimposition by superimposing ante- and post-mortem frontal sinus patterns recorded in case situations as well as simulated ante- and post-mortem of frontal sinus patterns recorded using archived skulls. For superimposition, the wipe facility available in the vision mixer was employed in addition to the mix mode. Ante- and post-mortem radiographic patterns that were available in two earlier cases were not superimposable. Related simulated ante- and post-mortem radiographic patterns of frontal sinuses are superimposable only when the skull that is initially oriented for recording the ante-mortem radiograph is retained in the same posture for recording the post-mortem radiograph also. Once the skull has been removed from the X-ray table, after recording the simulated ante-mortem radiograph, and repositioned for the simulated post-mortem radiograph, even when the intervening time is 1min, the sinus patterns in these radiographs are not superimposable. Superimposition cannot be used as a conditional requirement for side-by-side comparison of radiographic patterns of frontal sinuses.
authors.affiliation: Forensic Science, Chemistry Department of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Natassha
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hashim
authors.affiliation: Forensic Medicine Department, SRM Medical College and Research Centre, Potheri, Kattangulathur (PO), Kanchipuram Dist., Tamil Nadu 603203, India.
authors.forename: Narayanasamy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hemalatha
authors.affiliation: Forensic Medicine Department, SRM Medical College and Research Centre, Potheri, Kattangulathur (PO), Kanchipuram Dist., Tamil Nadu 603203, India.
authors.forename: Karuppaiah
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Thangaraj
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian, 16150, Kelantan, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Abdul
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kareem
authors.affiliation: Medical Radiation Program, School of Health Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian, 16150, Kelantan, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Arefuddin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.affiliation: Forensic Science Program, School of Health Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian, 16150, Kelantan, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Nik Fakhuruddin Nik
authors.initials: NF
authors.lastname: Hassan
authors.affiliation: Forensic Science Program, School of Health Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian, 16150, Kelantan, Malaysia. Electronic address: ptjaya@usm.my.
authors.forename: Paul T
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Jayaprakash
mesh_terms: D018732:Forensic Anthropology / Q000379:methods*; D005626:Frontal Sinus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D011859:Radiography; D014741:Video Recording
keywords: Data; Forensic anthropology; Population; Radiographic patterns of frontal sinuses; Side-by-side comparison; Superimposition of sinus patterns