Age estimation from IV rib by phase analysis in Indian females

Abstract

Metamorphosis at the sternal extremity of the rib has already been established as a reliable indicator of age at death by Iscan's phase method introduced in 1985. The purpose of this paper is to apply rib phase standards to an Indian sample to test if the progression of morphological changes follows the same age sequence. The rib sample shows that an accurate estimation of age can be made by direct examination of the bone itself. The sample consisted of 63 ribs of known age, sex, and race. The ribs were assigned to one of nine phases (0 through 8) based on changes noted at the costochondral junction. These included the formation of a pit, its depth and shape, configuration of the walls and rim surrounding it, and the overall texture and quality of the bone. Statistical analysis revealed that the features chosen to delineate the phases are valid predictors of age. This study has shown that the sternal rib can provide an accurate estimation of age in females spanning a mean age of 14 to 85 years. IntroductionAt present, age determination by metamorphosis of the sternal end of fourth rib is considered one of the most reliable sites for the assessment of age at death in the adult skeleton 1 . Although earlier research noted generalized age changes radiologically 2 , and in several cases by direct observation of the bony rib 3,4 , these works did not lead to the development of a systematic age assessment method. Iscan's rib phase method has shown the sternal end of a IV rib is a reliable indicator of age at death in the adult skeleton 5,6 . These authors found that the sternal end of the rib shows age-related metamorphosis throughout life and they described these morphological changes under nine phases based on a sample documented for age, sex and race. Following publication of sex-specific rib phase standards, Iscan and associates 5-8 tested the effectiveness of this method and found little inter-observer error and consistent reliability to within one phase of actual age. In the next decade, many others conducted tests of the rib phase and, again, their results confirmed the accuracy of this technique 9-16 . In 1987, Iscan and colleagues reported significant differences in the aging process of the ribs in whites and blacks 17 . Interestingly, the morphology of the phases is easily recognizable over time from the people of today back through historic cemetery samples, and even Neanderthals, as well as in diverse geographic regions 11,[13][14][15]18,19 .

Validation of the İşcan method in clinical MSCT scans specific to an Australian population

“…The results of the present study are compared to those reported for Turkish (Yavuz et al 1998), Indian (Meena et al 2012(Meena et al , 2013 The mean age per Phase for male and female individuals in the present study is overall very similar to those of other global populations, particularly Turkish (Yavuz et al 1998) and Indian (Meena et al 2012). It is difficult to determine how comparable Western Australian mean ages are to those presented for a Hungarian population for Phases 1 to 3, as the latter results are based on extremely small samples.…”

“…The effect of these factors (among others) on rib aging is yet to be examined. While the standards reported by Yavuz et al (1998) are comparable to those presented by Meena (2012Meena ( , 2013 The SEE statistic is not reported for all commonly employed morphoscopic adult estimation techniques that perform regression analysis (accuracy is instead reported in terms of inaccuracy and bias or not at all) possibly due to a lack of standardisation in statistical reporting among practicing forensic anthropologists . The results obtained for the various regression analyses performed in the present study are compared to those for the dentition and specialised skeletal and dental age estimation techniques from Australia and other contemporary global populations.…”

The Conservation, Excavation, and Analysis of Ancient Human Remains

“…according to Pankaj et al (2007), as the age of an individual increases, the walls surrounding the pits found at the sternal ends of the ribs thin, resulting in a U-shaped pit, rather than V-shaped pit (Pankaj et al 2007). Meena et al (2013) concurred with the accuracy of the results when these methods were applied to the fourth rib. As with any method, concerns of accuracy arise, resulting in the need for further research utilizing these methods.…”

“…Meindl and Lovejoy (1985), Masset (1989), and Buikstra and Ubelaker (1994) argue that when other aging methods are unavailable or when used in conjunction with other methods, examination of the suture closures has been reported useful. In a more recent study, Dorandeu et al 2009 Examination of the sternal ends of the ribs has also proven to provide an approximate age for skeletal remains because of the various age-related stages that occur at the sternal ends of the ribs (Iscan 1991); this is visible with the level of porosity, coupled with sternal lipping (Iscan 1991;Loth 1995;Ubelaker 1999;Bass 2005;Pankaj et al 2007;Fanton et al 2010;Meena et al 2013; Cerezo-Roman and Hernandez Espinoza 2014). In Iscan's (1991) study, 300 American Whites and Blacks, of known sexes, were assessed for their age through examination of the sternal ends of the ribs.…”