Journal of Forensic Radiology and Imaging最新文献

We developed software for three-dimensional (3D) facial approximation from the skull based on computed tomography (CT) scans of the head obtained from 59 Japanese adult volunteers (40 males, 19 females). CT scanning was performed while participants raised their head in an upright position while in a prone body posture. The positional relationships between the skull and head surface shape were analyzed by creating anatomically homologous shape models. Before modeling, skull shapes were simplified by concealing hollow structures of the skull using in-house software. Surficial tissue thickness (STT), represented by the distances between corresponding vertices of the simplified skull and head surface, was calculated for each individual, and averaged for each sex. Although the approximate head shapes of known individuals showed a relatively good resemblance in both the shape of the whole head and facial parts, some errors were identified, particularly in areas with thick surficial tissue. The results revealed sexual dimorphism of STT, with males exhibiting thinner surficial tissue at the cheek, and thicker tissue at the glabella, nose, mouth, and chin. Moreover, we created referential models for craniofacial superimposition from average models of the skull and head surface shape for each sex.

This pictorial essay describes the use and value of post mortem computed tomography (PMCT) in imaging potential complications related to cardiopulmonary resuscitation and those related to commonly used pre-hospital medical resuscitation devices.

Establishing sex of fragmentary skeletal remains is a critical issue in forensic anthropology and is of prime importance, since it helps to significantly narrow down the number of potential victims. Forensic anthropologists have always advocated for population specific sex discriminant formula for each population using different skeletal parts. Till date Gujarati population of India has not have any discriminant formulae for sex determination from fragmentary crania. So, the current research aims to examine the usefulness of foramen magnum variables in sex estimation of Western Indian (Gujarati) population and to provide population data which can be used as reference in cases of establishing identity in unknown fragmentary skulls.

A total of 553 adult individuals [♂ = 291, ♀ = 262] of Gujarati origin with age range 18–60 years were subjected to Computed Tomography (CT) scan of skull. Length and width of foramen magnum were measured and based on these, three other variables (areas by Radinsky and Teixeria formulae and foramen magnum index) were calculated. Descriptive and discriminant function analysis was performed using SPSS 20.00.

Significant difference was observed in all variables except foramen magnum index, but sexing accuracy didn't exceed 69.1%, even after using multivariate discriminant analysis. It is concluded that the foramen magnum region is not suitable for sexing Gujarati population in forensic context.

Background

Sex estimation is a critical issue in forensic medicine. Since anthropologic evaluations on radiographs can contribute to more accurate sex estimation, this study measured the length and height, as well as area, of the maxillary sinus on lateral cephalometric radiography.

Methods and materials

In this descriptive-analytic study, 80 images obtained from 20 to 40-year-old individuals (40 males and 40 female) were selected. The height and anterior-posterior length of the maxillary sinus was performed using CATIA V5R20 (a software package for image analysis). Maxillary sinus area was determined using discriminant analysis in AutoCAD.

Findings

The mean maxillary sinus height was 40.48 mm in males and 38.7 mm in females. The mean maxillary sinus length was 40.31 mm in males and 37.31 mm in females. The area of the maxillary sinus was 1201.2 mm² in males and 1043.4 mm² in females. Two discriminant analysis models, one based on the height and length of the maxillary sinus and the other based on sinus area) were developed for sex estimation. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used for quality assessment of the fitted models and determination of their prediction ability.

Conclusion

The mean height, length and area of the maxillary sinus were significantly larger in males than in females (P < 0.05). While sex estimation can be performed based on either the area or a combination of the height and length of the maxillary sinus. The length/width perform better than area for sex estimation but, it is greatly overshadowed by the fact that both measures perform barely better than chance. Since classification accuracy is less than 80%, the method is not reliable and therefore not recommended for sex estimation.

Frontal sinuses have a distinctive morphology that may support human identifications in the routine of medico-legal institutes. On the other hand, forensic facilities in developing countries may be limited in radiologic technology. This study aims to report a case of human identification in which the frontal sinuses were assessed by means of an adapted radiographic technique. An unknown charred victim of car crash was referred to the local medico-legal institute for human identification. The antemortem (AM) data provided by the alleged relatives of the victims consisted of a posteroanterior (PA) radiograph of the skull. In order to reproduce the AM radiograph for comparison of the frontal sinuses, and adapted technique was performed by positioning an occlusal film on the anterior surface of the frontal bone of the victim to and the radiographic cylinder on the posterior surface of the skull. A PM radiograph of the frontal sinuses was obtained in PA projection. A qualitative radiographic analysis of the morphology of the frontal sinuses revealed the convergence of AM and PM evidences and contributed to the human identification process.

The Journal of Forensic Radiology and Imaging was launched in 2013 with the aim to collate the literature and demonstrate high-quality case studies on image-based modalities across the forensic sciences. Largely, the focus of this journal has been on the transmissive aspect of forensic imaging, and therefore a significant number of high-quality case studies have been published focusing on computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. As a result, the ‘and imaging’ aspect is often neglected. Since 2013, technology has fundamentally evolved, and a number of new techniques have become accessible or have been demonstrated as particularly useful within many sub-disciplines of forensic science. These include active and passive surface scanning techniques, and the availability of three-dimensional printing. Therefore, this article discusses non-contact techniques, their applications, advantages, and considerations on the current state of play of imaging in forensic science.