Boyd Kristen Leigh, Villa Chiara, Lynnerup Niels
Laboratory of Biological Anthropology, Department of Forensic Medicine, University of Copenhagen Frederik d. 5.'s Vej 11, DK-2100, Copenhagen, Denmark.
J Forensic Sci. 2015 Mar;60(2):363-9. doi: 10.1111/1556-4029.12683. Epub 2015 Jan 23.
We examined the utility of CT scans in the evaluation of degree of ectocranial suture closure. Five cranial points (left and right midcoronal positions, left and right midlambdoidal positions, and the lambda) were evaluated in 231 CT scans using a three-point scoring system (open, partial closed, and closed). The slice increment and thickness varied between three groups of the scans. The results showed a good correlation between degree of suture closure and increasing age in each group. Young individuals (<40 years) and old individuals (>60 years) could be clearly distinguished from the middle-aged individuals. ANOVA test revealed no difference between two groups of scans and between left and right sides (p > 0.05). Interobserver agreement was good, especially considering the score by sides. The results of this study create the base for developing a robust and simple method to estimate the age at death using CT scans.
我们研究了CT扫描在评估颅外缝闭合程度中的作用。使用三点评分系统（开放、部分闭合和闭合），在231例CT扫描中评估了五个颅骨点（左右冠状缝中点位置、左右人字缝中点位置和人字点）。三组扫描的切片增量和厚度各不相同。结果显示，每组中缝闭合程度与年龄增长之间存在良好的相关性。年轻人（<40岁）和老年人（>60岁）可以与中年人明显区分开来。方差分析显示，两组扫描之间以及左右两侧之间没有差异（p>0.05）。观察者间一致性良好，尤其是按侧别评分时。本研究结果为开发一种使用CT扫描估计死亡年龄的可靠且简单的方法奠定了基础。
