Pubic Symphyseal Age Estimation from Three-Dimensional Reconstructions of Pelvic CT Scans of Live Individuals

Skeletal age estimation using the pubic symphysis is a reliable and popular practice among forensic anthropologists. In instances in which accessing the skeleton is impossible, such as in the case of living individuals, three-dimensional (3D) reconstructions of computed tomography (CT) scans can be created and analyzed for aspects of the biological profile. This study examined 3D reconstructions of pelvic CT scans of a sample of 44 live adults to estimate age using the Suchey-Brooks J Hum Evol 1990;5(3):227-38 method. Images were created using OsiriX software (Pixmeo, Geneva, Switzerland). Estimated age ranges based on the 3D-CT images captured the true age of the individual at the time of the CT scan 79.5% of the time with good intra-observer reliability. The features best visualized on the 3D images included the ossific nodule and the pubic symphyseal rim. This study shows that clinical CT scanning parameters are adequate for creating 3D images to be analyzed for age using the pubic symphysis.