Association between age at death and modified intramuscular adipose tissue content derived from postmortem computed...

Area of Science:

• Forensic Anthropology
• Radiology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Age estimation is crucial for individual identification, yet soft tissue methods are limited.
• Modified intramuscular adipose tissue content (mIMAC) is a clinical marker for malnutrition in cancer patients.
• mIMAC is calculated from CT values of specific muscle and fat regions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the applicability of mIMAC for age estimation in a forensic context.
• To investigate the correlation between mIMAC and age at death using postmortem CT (PMCT).
• To determine if mIMAC differs significantly between sexes.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 229 postmortem CT (PMCT) images.
• Statistical correlation analysis between age at death and mIMAC values for each sex.
• Calculation of mIMAC using mean CT values from multifidus muscle and subcutaneous fat at L4.

Main Results:

• A statistically significant association was found between mIMAC and age at death in both males and females.
• mIMAC values derived from PMCT images showed significant sex-based differences.
• PMCT-mIMAC demonstrates potential as a reliable age estimation tool.

Conclusions:

• Modified intramuscular adipose tissue content (mIMAC) is a viable soft tissue marker for age estimation in forensic investigations.
• PMCT-mIMAC provides a novel approach for age assessment, complementing traditional hard tissue methods.
• Further research can refine mIMAC's utility in diverse forensic scenarios.