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Forensic age estimation based on magnetic resonance imaging of the proximal humeral epiphysis in Chinese living individuals

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Abstract

Forensic age estimation in living individuals is mainly based on radiological features, but direct radiography and computed tomography lead to a rise in ethical concerns due to radiation exposure. Thus, the contribution of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to age estimation of living individuals is a subject of ongoing research. In the current study, MRIs of shoulder were retrospectively collected from a modern Chinese Han population and data from 835 individuals (599 males and 236 females) in the age group 12 to 30 years were obtained. A staging technique based on (Schmidt et al. Int J Legal Med 121(4):321-324, 2007) and (Kellinghaus et al. Int J Legal Med 124(4):321–325, 2010) was used and all images were evaluated with T1-wieghted turbo spin echo (T1-TSE) sequence and T2-weighed fat suppression (T2-FS) sequence. One-sided images were assessed because data from both sides were considered coincidental, as no significant differences were found (P > 0.05). Two MRI sequences were evaluated separately and subsequently compared. Regression models and supportive vector classification (SVC) models were established accordingly. The intraobserver and interobserver agreement levels were good. Compared with T1-TSE sequence, the R2 values of T2-FS sequence were generally higher, while the mean absolute deviation (MAD) values were slightly lower. For T2-FS sequence, the MAD value was 1.49 years in males and 2.19 years in females. With two MRI sequences incorporated, the SVC model obtained with 85.7% correctly classified minors and 96.2% correctly classified adults in males, while 83.3% and 98.0% respectively in females. In conclusion, T2-FS sequence may slightly outperform the T1-TSE sequence in shoulder MRI analysis for age estimation, while shoulder MRIs could be a reliable prediction indicator for the 18-year threshold and two MRI sequences incorporated are encouraged.

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Acknowledgements

We want to acknowledge the excellent support by our radiologists. In addition, we thank our colleagues for their valuable insights and expertise that contributed to our research and professional assistance in the writing of the manuscript.

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81971801 and No. 81373252).

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  1. Ting Lu and Li-rong Qiu contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Forensic Pathology, West China School of Basic Medical Science & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, People’s Republic of China

    Ting Lu, Li-rong Qiu, Lei Shi, Fei Fan & Zhen-hua Deng

  2. Department of Paediatric Orthopedics, Sichuan Provincial Orthopedics Hospital, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, People’s Republic of China

    Bo Ren

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  1. Ting Lu
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Lu, T., Qiu, Lr., Ren, B. et al. Forensic age estimation based on magnetic resonance imaging of the proximal humeral epiphysis in Chinese living individuals. Int J Legal Med 135, 2437–2446 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-021-02653-5

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