Forensic age estimation using Dedouit classification in adolescents of the Southwestern Chinese Han population based on the knee MRI

Abstract

Background: Ethical concerns regarding radiation exposure from conventional imaging examinations for forensic age estimation persist globally. Accumulating results show that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the knee may be an alternative, noninvasive, and reliable method for forensic age estimation. In the present study, we firstly investigate the utility for age estimation by ossification stages of the distal femoral epiphyses and proximal tibial epiphyses via knee MRI in adolescents of the southwestern Chinese Han population using the five-stage system described by Dedouit et al. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated the coronal fat-suppressed proton density (FS-PD) taken upon 3.0-T MRI of 675 southwest Chinese Han subjects (371 males and 304 females) aged 10-30 years using the five-stage system described by Dedouit et al. RESULTS: Excellent intra-observer reproducibility and inter-observer reliability were obtained(κ˃ 0.9). The minimum age of distal femoral epiphyses at stage I, II, III, IV, and V was 10.05, 12.09, 14.78, 15.37, and 16.48 years old in males, and 10.54, 12.74, 12.96, 13.66, and 15.21 years old in females. The minimum age of proximal tibial epiphyses at stage I, II, III, IV, and V was 10.05, 11.22, 13.64, 15.37, and 16.48 years old in males, and 10.60, 10.54, 12.56, 12.96, and 15.21 years old in females.

Conclusions: It is suggested that ossification stages of distal femoral epiphyses and proximal tibial epiphyses via knee MRI with coronal FS-PD sequences using Dedouit classification are an alternative, noninvasive, and reliable indicator for age classification at the 12-, 14-, and 16-year thresholds, except for the 18-year threshold, in the southwestern Chinese Han population.

Keywords: Age estimation; Distal femoral epiphyses; Magnetic resonance imaging; Proximal tibial epiphyses.