Age-at-death estimation based on micro-CT assessment of pubic symphysis: Potentially new methodological approach.
Age-at-death assessment
Forensic anthropology
Micro-CT
Pubic symphysis
Journal
Forensic science international
ISSN: 1872-6283
Titre abrégé: Forensic Sci Int
Pays: Ireland
ID NLM: 7902034
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
Nov 2023
Nov 2023
Historique:
received:
20
03
2023
revised:
28
08
2023
accepted:
28
09
2023
medline:
30
10
2023
pubmed:
7
10
2023
entrez:
6
10
2023
Statut:
ppublish
Résumé
Although various methods for age-at-death estimation of skeletal remains are available, this is still an unsolved issue in forensic anthropology, especially concerning elderly individuals. Moreover, the lack of population-specific methods often made age-at-death estimation unreliable in other populations. Our study aimed to examine whether micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) analysis of pubic bone samples obtained from the contemporary Serbian population could be used in anthropological and forensic practice for age-at-death estimation. This study encompassed 62 pubic samples obtained from 26 adult male and 36 adult female cadaveric donors (age range: 22-91 years). Initially, staging according to the Suchey-Brooks phases was performed by two experienced investigators, followed by micro-CT assessment of pubic bone trabecular and cortical compartments (spatial resolution of the scans was 10 µm). Our results revealed an age-associated decline in trabecular and cortical micro-architecture of elderly male and female individuals, with the most prominent changes present in trabecular bone volume fraction and total porosity of the anterior and posterior cortical surface of the pubic bone. Those parameters were used to generate age-at-death estimation equations. One sample t-test did not reveal a significant difference between estimated age-at-death and real (known) age-at-death in the overall sample (mean absolute error [MAE] of 4.76 years), female (MAE of 9.66 years) and male cadaveric donors (MAE of 6.10 years, p > 0.05). Our data indicated that micro-architectural features of trabecular and cortical compartments of pubic bone could potentially be applied as an additional reliable method for age-at-death estimation in the Serbian population.
Sections du résumé
BACKGROUND
BACKGROUND
Although various methods for age-at-death estimation of skeletal remains are available, this is still an unsolved issue in forensic anthropology, especially concerning elderly individuals. Moreover, the lack of population-specific methods often made age-at-death estimation unreliable in other populations.
AIM
OBJECTIVE
Our study aimed to examine whether micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) analysis of pubic bone samples obtained from the contemporary Serbian population could be used in anthropological and forensic practice for age-at-death estimation.
METHODOLOGY
METHODS
This study encompassed 62 pubic samples obtained from 26 adult male and 36 adult female cadaveric donors (age range: 22-91 years). Initially, staging according to the Suchey-Brooks phases was performed by two experienced investigators, followed by micro-CT assessment of pubic bone trabecular and cortical compartments (spatial resolution of the scans was 10 µm).
RESULTS
RESULTS
Our results revealed an age-associated decline in trabecular and cortical micro-architecture of elderly male and female individuals, with the most prominent changes present in trabecular bone volume fraction and total porosity of the anterior and posterior cortical surface of the pubic bone. Those parameters were used to generate age-at-death estimation equations. One sample t-test did not reveal a significant difference between estimated age-at-death and real (known) age-at-death in the overall sample (mean absolute error [MAE] of 4.76 years), female (MAE of 9.66 years) and male cadaveric donors (MAE of 6.10 years, p > 0.05).
CONCLUSION
CONCLUSIONS
Our data indicated that micro-architectural features of trabecular and cortical compartments of pubic bone could potentially be applied as an additional reliable method for age-at-death estimation in the Serbian population.
Identifiants
pubmed: 37801865
pii: S0379-0738(23)00301-8
doi: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2023.111851
pii:
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
111851Informations de copyright
Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts
Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.