Pubic Symphyseal Age Estimation from Three‐Dimensional Reconstructions of Pelvic CT Scans of Live Individuals

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.