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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Indian J Radiol Imaging 2024; 34(03): 496-510
DOI: 10.1055/s-0043-1778651
Review Article

Demystifying the Radiography of Age Estimation in Criminal Jurisprudence: A Pictorial Review

Vritika Bhardwaj   *
1   Department of Radiodiagnosis and Imaging, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
,
Ishan Kumar    *
1   Department of Radiodiagnosis and Imaging, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
,
Priyanka Aggarwal
2   Department of Pediatrics, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
,
Pramod Kumar Singh
1   Department of Radiodiagnosis and Imaging, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
,
Ram C. Shukla 
1   Department of Radiodiagnosis and Imaging, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
,
Ashish Verma 
1   Department of Radiodiagnosis and Imaging, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
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Abstract

Skeletal radiographs along with dental examination are frequently used for age estimation in medicolegal cases where documentary evidence pertaining to age is not available. Wrist and hand radiographs are the most common skeletal radiograph considered for age estimation. Other parts imaged are elbow, shoulder, knee, and hip according to suspected age categories. Age estimation by wrist radiographs is usually done by the Tanner-Whitehouse method where the maturity level of each bone is categorized into stages and a final total score is calculated that is then transformed into the bone age. Careful assessment and interpretation at multiple joints are needed to minimize the error and categorize into age-group. In this article, we aimed to summarize a suitable radiographic examination and interpretation for bone age estimation in living children, adolescents, young adults, and adults for medicolegal purposes.

Keywords

bone age - radiography - skeletal - POSCO

* V.B. and I.K. are first coauthors as their contribution is equal.




Publication History

Article published online:
27 January 2024

© 2024. Indian Radiological Association. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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