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

Age estimation is an essential process in individual identification. While there are numerous age estimation methods using hard tissue remains such as bones and teeth, methods that utilize soft tissues are limited. In a clinical setting, a new marker, modified intramuscular adipose tissue content (mIMAC), was developed as a surrogate marker of malnutrition in patients with gastrointestinal cancer. It is calculated using the mean CT values from the region of interest drawn in the multifidus muscle and subcutaneous fat at the superior aspect of the fourth lumbar vertebra (L4). In this study, a correlation between age and mIMAC was suggested. The objective of this study was to assess the applicability of mIMAC as a screening tool for age estimation in a forensic setting. We studied 229 PMCT images and statistically analyzed the correlation of their age at death and mIMAC value for each sex. mIMAC had a statistically significant association with age at death for both sexes. Furthermore, mIMAC values obtained from PMCT images showed significant differences between males and females. Our findings that PMCT-mIMAC could also be utilized for age estimation processes in forensic settings.