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Pubic Symphyseal Age Estimation from Three‐Dimensional Reconstructions of Pelvic CT Scans of Live Individuals
Author(s) -
Wink Alexandra E.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of forensic sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.715
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1556-4029
pISSN - 0022-1198
DOI - 10.1111/1556-4029.12369
Subject(s) - pubic symphysis , hum , medicine , computed tomography , forensic anthropology , symphysis , bone age , anatomy , radiology , nuclear medicine , pelvis , art , performance art , art history , sociology , anthropology
Skeletal age estimation using the pubic symphysis is a reliable and popular practice among forensic anthropologists. In instances in which accessing the skeleton is impossible, such as in the case of living individuals, three‐dimensional (3 D ) reconstructions of computed tomography ( CT ) scans can be created and analyzed for aspects of the biological profile. This study examined 3 D reconstructions of pelvic CT scans of a sample of 44 live adults to estimate age using the Suchey–Brooks J Hum Evol 1990;5(3):227‐38 method. Images were created using O siri X software (Pixmeo, Geneva, Switzerland). Estimated age ranges based on the 3 D ‐ CT images captured the true age of the individual at the time of the CT scan 79.5% of the time with good intra‐observer reliability. The features best visualized on the 3 D images included the ossific nodule and the pubic symphyseal rim. This study shows that clinical CT scanning parameters are adequate for creating 3 D images to be analyzed for age using the pubic symphysis.