Deng Xiao-Dong, Leng Qi, Fan Fei, Huang Yi-Si, Zhang Wei, Zhang Li-Xia, Liu Yun, Deng Zhen-Hua
Department of Forensic Pathology, School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, 637000, Sichuan, P.R. China.
Key Laboratory of Forensic Identification Technology of Sichuan Provincial Universities, Nanchong, 637000, Sichuan, PR China.
Int J Legal Med. 2025 Aug 6. doi: 10.1007/s00414-025-03566-3.
Ethical concerns regarding radiation exposure from conventional imaging examinations for forensic age estimation persist globally. Accumulating results show that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the knee may be an alternative, noninvasive, and reliable method for forensic age estimation. In the present study, we firstly investigate the utility for age estimation by ossification stages of the distal femoral epiphyses and proximal tibial epiphyses via knee MRI in adolescents of the southwestern Chinese Han population using the five-stage system described by Dedouit et al. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated the coronal fat-suppressed proton density (FS-PD) taken upon 3.0-T MRI of 675 southwest Chinese Han subjects (371 males and 304 females) aged 10-30 years using the five-stage system described by Dedouit et al. RESULTS: Excellent intra-observer reproducibility and inter-observer reliability were obtained(κ˃ 0.9). The minimum age of distal femoral epiphyses at stage I, II, III, IV, and V was 10.05, 12.09, 14.78, 15.37, and 16.48 years old in males, and 10.54, 12.74, 12.96, 13.66, and 15.21 years old in females. The minimum age of proximal tibial epiphyses at stage I, II, III, IV, and V was 10.05, 11.22, 13.64, 15.37, and 16.48 years old in males, and 10.60, 10.54, 12.56, 12.96, and 15.21 years old in females.
It is suggested that ossification stages of distal femoral epiphyses and proximal tibial epiphyses via knee MRI with coronal FS-PD sequences using Dedouit classification are an alternative, noninvasive, and reliable indicator for age classification at the 12-, 14-, and 16-year thresholds, except for the 18-year threshold, in the southwestern Chinese Han population.
全球范围内，对于法医年龄估计中传统成像检查所产生辐射的伦理担忧依然存在。越来越多的研究结果表明，膝关节磁共振成像（MRI）可能是一种用于法医年龄估计的替代性、非侵入性且可靠的方法。在本研究中，我们首次采用Dedouit等人描述的五阶段系统，通过对中国西南汉族青少年进行膝关节MRI检查，研究股骨远端骨骺和胫骨近端骨骺的骨化阶段在年龄估计中的效用。
我们回顾性评估了675名年龄在10至30岁之间的中国西南汉族受试者（371名男性和304名女性）的3.0-T MRI冠状面脂肪抑制质子密度（FS-PD）图像，采用Dedouit等人描述的五阶段系统。
观察者内重现性和观察者间可靠性均极佳（κ＞0.9）。男性股骨远端骨骺I、II、III、IV和V阶段的最小年龄分别为10.05、12.09、14.78、15.37和16.48岁，女性分别为10.54、12.74、12.96、13.66和15.21岁。男性胫骨近端骨骺I、II、III、IV和V阶段的最小年龄分别为10.05、11.22、13.64、15.37和16.48岁，女性分别为10.60、10.54、12.56、12.96和15.21岁。
对于中国西南汉族人群，采用Dedouit分类法，通过膝关节MRI冠状面FS-PD序列观察股骨远端骨骺和胫骨近端骨骺的骨化阶段，是12岁、14岁和16岁阈值（不包括18岁阈值）年龄分类的一种替代性、非侵入性且可靠的指标。
