Estimation of pediatric skeletal age using geometric morphometrics and three-dimensional cranial size changes

Area of Science:

• Forensic Anthropology
• Pediatric Radiology
• Geometric Morphometrics

Background:

• Accurate skeletal age estimation is crucial in pediatric medicine and forensic science.
• Existing methods for pediatric age estimation often show decreased accuracy with increasing age.
• There is a need for age estimation techniques applicable across a wide pediatric age range.

Purpose of the Study:

• To expand the range of age-related structures for pediatric skeletal age estimation.
• To develop a method for estimating skeletal age from early postnatal age to adolescence.
• To achieve age estimation accuracy that is independent of age and improves with older children.

Main Methods:

• Utilized computed tomography (CT) scans from 127 children (ages 0-18 years).
• Calculated centroid size of the face and basicranium using 3D coordinates of anatomical landmarks.
• Employed geometric morphometric methods and a linear model to analyze age-related changes.
• Validated the method using cross-validation techniques.

Main Results:

• The centroid size of the facial skeleton proved to be a reliable age-related variable.
• Accuracy of age estimation did not decrease with increasing age, unlike many existing methods.
• The standard error of age estimation was consistently ≤ 2.1 years at the 95% confidence level.
• Accuracy showed improvement in the sub-sample of older children.

Conclusions:

• Facial and basicranium centroid size is a viable metric for pediatric skeletal age estimation.
• The developed method provides accurate and consistent age assessment throughout childhood and adolescence.
• This technique offers a valuable tool for applications in pediatric diagnostics and forensic investigations.