Age and Sex Identification Using Multi-slice Computed Tomography of the Last Thoracic Vertebrae of an Egyptian Sample

Abstract

Introduction: Accurate sex estimation plays a very important role in determining the identity of unknown individuals. Age determination also has become increasingly important in forensic science for both living and remains. Vertebrae are one of the least studied bones for age and sex identification; however, its presence at a death scene is the most common of all. The 12 th thoracic vertebra (T12) is easily identifiable in a disarticulated skeleton, due to its unique morphology. Identification depending on radiological techniques is an emerging valuable tool in forensic science field.

Identification Based on Height, Age, and Gender Estimation Using the Measured Parameters of the T10 and T11 Vertebrae in Three-Dimensional Computed Tomography Scan Among the Iranian Population

“…The difference in the area of the 10th thoracic vertebra between male and female subjects was approximately 25% (12). Similarly, Ramadan et al found that male subjects had higher mean values than female subjects across all measured dimensions of the T12th vertebra (10).…”

“…In Ramadan et al's study, all dimensions of the T12 vertebra significantly differed between the two genders (P < 0.001), and the gender prediction accuracy rate was defined at 88.6% (10). Hou et al have reported that all dimensions of T12 significantly differed between genders, except in terms of sagittal FD and the right inferior APH.…”

“…Additionally, in the T11 vertebra, APHs in men and VL, EPW, EPD, SPL, and APHi in women were positively correlated with age. According to Ramadan et al's study in Egypt, a significant positive correlation was found age and all dimensions of the T12 vertebra, except length of the vertebral foramen (LVF), transverse distance (TD), PW, and TDm (10). Furthermore, in their study using 3D CT imaging, Kacar et al reported that the middle thoracic region had the highest correlation with 20 to 70 years of age, and the lower thoracic region revealed a higher correlation with 70 to 90 years of age (15).…”

“…Correspondingly, the vertebral column contains an outer dense cortical bone and an inner cancellous bone, which help bear weight by vertebrae (7)(8)(9). the 12th thoracic vertebra in gender, age, and height estimations (7,(9)(10)(11), and only one study has examined the 10th thoracic vertebra in gender determination but not in age and height (12). Moreover, no study was found to measure the 11th thoracic vertebra and its correlations with gender, age, and height.…”

2nd and 7th cervical vertebrae indices using multislice computed tomography as a diagnostic tool in differentiation of sex and age in an Egyptian sample, Menoufia governorate

“…Identification of a person is a crucial task in forensics. Estimations of age, sex, stature, and ancestry, which is referred to as biological profile, minimize the possible matches of a victim and consequently give beneficial clues in personal identification (Ramadan et al, 2017) Forensic anthropologists face a great challenge regarding the identification of unknown skeletal remains, precisely in corpses with advanced state of decomposition and mass disaster (Klales et al, 2020) Estimating sex via skeletal examination is an important first step in developing a reliable biological profile because it reduces the number of possible victim matches by 50%. (Langley and MariaTeresa, 2017).…”