Estimating Age at Death Based on Costal Cartilage Calcification

Area of Science:

• Forensic Anthropology
• Radiology
• Biostatistics

Background:

• Accurate age estimation is vital in forensic investigations, especially when dealing with fragmented remains.
• Previous methods relied on X-rays to assess costal cartilage calcification for age estimation.
• The utility of postmortem computed tomography (CT) imaging for this purpose requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of postmortem CT imaging in estimating age through costal cartilage calcification.
• To compare CT-based measurements with traditional X-ray methods for age assessment.
• To enhance age estimation accuracy by applying Bayesian statistical analysis to CT data.

Main Methods:

• Postmortem CT scans were analyzed from 20 male and female decedents, aged 20-89 years.
• Measurements included mean Hounsfield unit (CT number) and percentage calcification of costal cartilage.
• Data were reanalyzed using Bayesian statistics to improve classification rates into 10-year age groups.

Main Results:

• Both mean Hounsfield unit and percentage calcification increased with age in both sexes.
• Statistically significant differences (P < 0.05) were observed mainly between the 20-29 and older age groups.
• Bayesian analysis improved classification accuracy to 40% for males and 35% for females.

Conclusions:

• Postmortem CT imaging of costal cartilage calcification, combined with Bayesian statistics, offers a viable method for age estimation.
• This approach can serve as a valuable adjunct tool in forensic investigations for identifying unidentified individuals.
• Further research broadening the age range may yield even higher classification accuracy.