[The degree of closure of the cranial sutures as a quick method for adult age evaluation in autopsy].

The aim of this paper was to test a method of quick evaluation of age of deceased during autopsies based on examination of cranial suture closure. The age of 20 males and 20 females was evaluated based on sagittal and fragments of the coronal and lambdoid sutures. The results were compared with the actual chronological age of the deceased calculated on the basis of their dates of birth and demise. In many cases, a slight overestimation occurred in evaluating the age by analyzing the sutures. Thus the results show that a precise and thorough evaluation of the deceased's age is not possible on the basis of the cranial suture closure without maceration of the skull.