Skeletal Biology and Forensic Anthropology Research Laboratory, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4001, Australia.
Skeletal Biology and Forensic Anthropology Research Laboratory, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4001, Australia.
Forensic Sci Int. 2014 Mar;236:195.e1-11. doi: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2013.12.041. Epub 2014 Jan 10.
Despite the prominent use of the pubic symphysis for age estimation in forensic anthropology, little has been documented regarding the quantitative morphological and micro-architectural changes of this surface. Specifically, utilising post-mortem computed tomography data from a large, contemporary Australian adult population, this study aimed to evaluate sexual dimorphism in the morphology and bone composition of the symphyseal surface; and temporal characterisation of the pubic symphysis in individuals of advancing age. The sample consisted of multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) scans of the pubic symphysis (slice thickness: 0.5mm, overlap: 0.1mm) of 200 individuals of Caucasian ancestry aged 15-70 years, obtained in 2011. Surface rendering reconstruction of the symphyseal surface was conducted in OsiriX(®) (v.4.1) and quantitative analyses in Rapidform XOS™ and Osteomeasure™. Morphometric variables including inter-pubic distance, surface area, circumference, maximum height and width of the symphyseal surface and micro-architectural assessment of cortical and trabecular bone compositions were quantified using novel automated engineering software capabilities. The major results of this study are correlated with the macroscopic ossification and degeneration pattern of the symphyseal surface, demonstrating significant age-related changes in the morphometric and bone tissue variables between 15 and 70 years. Regardless of sex, the overall dimensions of the symphyseal surface increased with age, coupled with a decrease in bone mass in the trabecular and cortical bone compartments. Significant differences between the ventral, dorsal and medial cortical surfaces were observed, which may be correlated to bone formation activity dependent on muscle activity and ligamentous attachments. Our study demonstrates significant sexual dimorphism at this site, with males exhibiting greater surface dimensions than females. These baseline results provide a detailed insight into the changes in the structure of the pubic symphysis with ageing and sexually dimorphic features associated with the cortical and trabecular bone profiles.
尽管耻骨联合在法医人类学中被广泛用于年龄估计，但关于该表面的定量形态和微观结构变化的记录却很少。具体来说，本研究利用来自澳大利亚当代大型成人人群的死后计算机断层扫描（CT）数据，旨在评估耻骨联合表面形态和骨成分的性别二态性；以及在年龄增长的个体中耻骨联合的时间特征。该样本由 200 名白种人个体的耻骨联合多层 CT（MSCT）扫描组成，年龄在 15-70 岁之间，扫描时间为 2011 年。使用 OsiriX（®）（v.4.1）进行耻骨联合表面的表面渲染重建，并在 Rapidform XOS™ 和 Osteomeasure™中进行定量分析。使用新型自动化工程软件功能，对包括耻骨间距离、表面面积、周长、耻骨联合表面的最大高度和宽度在内的形态变量以及皮质骨和小梁骨组成的微观结构评估进行量化。本研究的主要结果与耻骨联合表面的宏观骨化和退化模式相关，表明在 15 至 70 岁之间，形态和骨组织变量与年龄相关的变化显著。无论性别如何，耻骨联合表面的整体尺寸都随着年龄的增长而增加，同时伴随着小梁骨和皮质骨体积的减少。观察到腹侧、背侧和内侧皮质表面之间存在显著差异，这可能与依赖于肌肉活动和韧带附着的骨形成活动有关。我们的研究表明，该部位存在显著的性别二态性，男性的表面尺寸大于女性。这些基线结果提供了一个详细的了解，在结构的耻骨联合与年龄和性别二态性特征相关的皮质骨和小梁骨剖面的变化。
