Evaluation of Tibial Parameters Calculated from Computed Tomography Images According to Age and Gender

Abstract

Objective: Bones from human remains are preserved in nature for long periods of time due to their compact structure, making them useful for identification. Although some bones are known to exhibit dimorphism, the tibia and femur are highly resistant to erosion and can be used to assess age and sex. The aim of this study was to assess age and sex using tibial parameters calculated from computed tomography (CT) scans. Methods: This study was performed by retrospectively analysing CT angiography images of the lower extremities of 114 individuals between 2015 and 2022. The individuals were divided into age groups 30-40 (age group 1), 41-50 (age group 2), 51-60 (age group 3). Images were transferred in DICOM format to the Radiant DICOM Viewer program and tibia measurements were performed. Results: The Kruskal-Wallis H test was used to compare the age groups, and the length between the left condylus medialis and lateralis parameter was compared between the 1st and 2nd age groups, and the distance between the right condylus medialis-malleolus medialis parameter was compared between the 1st and 3rd age groups. There was a statistically significant relationship between the 1st and other age groups for the left condylus medialis-malleolus medialis distance parameter between the 1st and 3rd age groups, and between the 1st and other age groups for the right condylus lateralis-malleolus lateralis distance parameter. The one-way ANOVA test showed a significant relationship between the 1st and 3rd age groups in the left condylus medialis-malleolus medialis distance parameter. It was concluded that there was a statistically significant difference between the sexes in all parameters except the length between the left condylus medialis and lateralis (MCLC-RL, LL) (p<0.05). Conclusion: As a result of our study, it was found that the parameters we obtained from the erosion resistant tibia are important markers in determining age and sex.In this context, we believe that the study will contribute to forensic science.