Kim Yuyoung, Lee Kang-Woo, Lee Sookyoung, Woo Eun Jin, Hu Kyung-Seok
Division in Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Department of Oral Biology, Human Identification Research Institute, BK21 FOUR Project, Yonsei University College of Dentistry, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea.
School of Mechanical and Robotics Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju, 61005, Republic of Korea.
Sci Rep. 2025 Jan 2;15(1):494. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-84168-8.
Computational analysis of the pubic symphyseal surface is widely used for accurate age estimation, offering quantitative precision through the detection of subtle morphological changes. However, these methods often lack insights into the underlying morphological changes across different age groups. To bridge this gap, the study utilizes statistical shape modeling (SSM), a versatile tool capable of describing diverse morphological variations within populations. This study aimed to elucidate the direction and extent of these morphological changes, identify the contributing factors, and pinpoint key variations crucial for distinguishing between age groups. Computed tomography (CT) scans of 252 subjects from the National Forensic Service of South Korea were employed, subjected to preprocessing and landmark-based alignment. Through this approach, the study visualized and validated significant age-related morphological changes and highlighted the shape variations essential for differentiating between consecutive age groups. This study holds significance in elucidating the intricate nature of age-related morphological changes in the pubic symphyseal surface. Thus, these findings can serve as valuable cornerstones for enhancing age-at-death estimation techniques in forensic anthropology.
耻骨联合面的计算机分析被广泛用于精确的年龄估计，通过检测细微的形态变化提供定量精度。然而，这些方法往往缺乏对不同年龄组潜在形态变化的深入了解。为了弥补这一差距，该研究采用了统计形状建模（SSM），这是一种能够描述群体内各种形态变化的通用工具。本研究旨在阐明这些形态变化的方向和程度，确定影响因素，并找出区分年龄组的关键变化。研究采用了韩国国家法医局252名受试者的计算机断层扫描（CT）图像，进行了预处理和基于地标点的对齐。通过这种方法，该研究可视化并验证了与年龄相关的显著形态变化，并突出了区分连续年龄组所必需的形状变化。本研究对于阐明耻骨联合面与年龄相关的形态变化的复杂性质具有重要意义。因此，这些发现可作为加强法医人类学中死亡年龄估计技术的宝贵基石。
