Radiographic age estimation based on degenerative changes of vertebrae

Area of Science:

• Forensic Anthropology
• Radiology
• Biometrics

Background:

• Accurate age estimation is crucial for decedent identification.
• Traditional anthropological methods require skeletal element removal and maceration for age assessment.
• Existing methods can be invasive and time-consuming, particularly for fleshed remains.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a novel, non-invasive radiographic method for age estimation.
• To assess the utility of degenerative changes in thoracic and lumbar vertebrae for age determination.
• To provide a complementary or stand-alone method for age estimation in medicolegal investigations.

Main Methods:

• Utilized digital radiographs from 240 medical examiner cases (120 males, 120 females, ages 18-101).
• Employed a 3-phased scoring system for degenerative changes in lower thoracic and upper lumbar vertebrae.
• Conducted transition analysis on binned average scores and used Bayesian inference for age interval assignment.

Main Results:

• Established age intervals with 90% credible intervals: Bin 1 (<36 years) and Bin 3 (>47 years).
• Bin 2 demonstrated significant age variation, limiting its informativeness.
• No significant age estimation differences were observed between males and females.

Conclusions:

• Radiographic analysis of vertebral degenerative changes provides a viable method for adult age estimation.
• This technique is particularly beneficial for estimating the age of older individuals.
• It may reduce the need for skeletal sampling in medicolegal cases with observable vertebral degeneration.