Using pre- and post-surgical foot and ankle radiographs for identification

Area of Science:

• Forensic Anthropology
• Radiology
• Orthopedic Surgery

Background:

• Postmortem identification relies on comparing antemortem and postmortem records.
• Radiographic comparisons are crucial for identifying individuals based on skeletal features.
• Surgical alterations can potentially complicate radiographic identification.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of surgical intervention on the reliability of foot and ankle radiographic comparisons.
• To determine if surgical changes preclude positive identification in forensic contexts.
• To provide a numerical assessment of radiographic match reliability after surgery.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 34 sets of pre-surgical and post-surgical foot and ankle radiographs.
• Simulating postmortem identification by separating pre- and post-surgical films.
• Evaluating both matching and mismatching radiographic sets.
• Developing a numerical representation of identification reliability.

Main Results:

• Surgical intervention and subsequent healing did not prevent positive identification in foot and ankle radiographic comparisons.
• Radiographic comparisons remain reliable even with anatomical alterations due to surgery.
• The study provides quantitative data on the reliability of post-surgical radiographic matching.

Conclusions:

• Surgical procedures on the foot and ankle do not compromise their utility for postmortem radiographic identification.
• Forensic identification using foot and ankle radiographs is feasible despite prior surgical history.
• Radiographic analysis remains a valuable tool in forensic identification, even with anatomical modifications.