Forensic age estimation from the clavicle using 1.0T MRI--preliminary results

Area of Science:

• Forensic Science
• Radiology
• Anthropology

Background:

• Forensic age estimation in living individuals requires non-ionizing methods.
• The medial clavicle ossification is a potential indicator for age assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the utility of 1.0T MRI for visualizing medial clavicle ossification.
• To evaluate the reliability of MRI-based clavicle ossification staging for age estimation in living subjects.

Main Methods:

• 1.0T MRI (T2 weighted 3D images) were acquired from 102 subjects (47 autopsy, 55 living volunteers aged 12-33).
• Three observers with varying expertise scored ossification stages in blind trials.
• A 2-stage system (incomplete fusion vs. fused) was evaluated for improved agreement.

Main Results:

• Motion artifacts impacted image resolution in living subjects.
• A significant age difference was observed between ossification stages 2/3 and stage 4 (minimum age 19.8 years for stage 4).
• Inter-observer agreement was moderate for autopsy cases and slight for living subjects, improving with a 2-stage system (K=0.414). No subject under 18 was classified as fused.

Conclusions:

• A simplified 2-stage ossification system enhances observer agreement on 1.0T MRI.
• Trained observers and further studies are necessary to confirm the reliability of 1.0T MRI for distinguishing adults from minors (18 years).
• 1.0T MRI shows promise as a non-ionizing tool for forensic age estimation in the living.