The role of multislice computed tomography of the costal cartilage in adult age estimation

Abstract

To establish population-specific age estimation models in adults from costal cartilage for contemporary Chinese by using three-dimensional volume-rendering technique. Five hundred and twelve individuals (254 females and 258 males) with documented ages between 20 and 85 years were retrospectively included. Their clinical CT examinations (1 mm slice thickness) were used to develop the sex-specific age prediction model. A validation sample comprising 26 female and 24 male individuals was then used to test the predictive accuracy of the established models. Simple linear regression (SLR), multiple linear regression (MLR), gradient boosting regression (GBR), support vector machine (SVM), and decision tree regression (DTR) were utilized to build the age diagnosis models from calibration samples. By comparison, the decision tree regression was the relatively more accurate age prediction model for male, with mean absolute error = 5.31 years, least absolute error = 0.10 years, correct percentage within 5 years = 54%, and the correct percentage within 10 years = 88%. The stepwise multiple linear regression equations was the relatively more accurate one for female, with mean absolute error = 6.72 years, least absolute error = 0.68 years, correct percentage within 5 years = 42%, and correct percentage within 10 years = 77%. Our results indicated that the present established age estimation model can be applied as an additional guidance for age estimation in adults.

A Comparative Study of Ethanol Concentration in Costal Cartilage in Relation to Blood and Urine

“…In clinical procedures, the costal cartilage can be used for the autologous reconstruction of the ear [16,17] or in rhinotherapy [18,19]. In forensic science, the costal cartilage is used to predict age by using computed tomography [20], measuring the racemization of aspartic acid [21] or estimating the ossification rate [22]. Recently, Siriboonpiputtana et al have demonstrated its usefulness as an alternative source for DNA typing in personal identification, enabling faster and cost-effective DNA isolation compared to hard tissues [23].…”

Concentrations of volatile substances in costal cartilage in relation to blood and urine – preliminary studies

“…Based on the analysed literature, or rather the lack of it compared to other tissues, costal cartilage is one of the neglected and underestimated alternative materials in forensic science. Usually it is used to predict a cadaver's age, either by using computed tomography [36], estimating the ossification rate [37], or by using differences in its pigmentation [38]. New research has attempted to use costal cartilage to predict post-mortem interval basing on the extracellular matrix macromolecules degradation, but it seems to require further investigation [39].…”

Bone Molecular Modifications Induced by Diagenesis Followed-Up for 12 Months

“…The patients gave informed written consent to participate, and the study was approved by an institutional review board: DC-2008-642. The ribs were chosen because they are also important in anthropology (e.g., estimating the age at death) [ 20 , 21 ]. It was decided to work with fresh bone samples as embalming procedures induce changes in their molecular composition [ 22 ].…”