Age estimation from stages of epiphyseal union in the presacral vertebrae

Abstract

The presacral vertebrae have various secondary centers of ossification, whose timing of fusion can be used for age estimation of human skeletal remains up to the middle to the latter third decade. However, detailed information about the age at which these secondary centers of ossification fuse has been lacking. In this study, the timing of epiphyseal union in presacral vertebrae was studied in a sample of modern Portuguese skeletons (57 females and 47 males) between the ages of 9 and 30, taken from the Lisbon documented skeletal collection. A detailed photographic record of these epiphyses and the age ranges for the different stages of epiphyseal union are provided. Partial union of epiphyses was observed from 11 to 27 years of age. In general, centers of ossification begin to fuse first in the cervical and lumbar vertebrae, followed by centers of ossification in the thoracic region. The first center of ossification to complete fusion is usually that of the mammillary process in lumbar vertebrae. This is usually followed by that of the transverse process, spinous transverse process, and annular ring, regardless of vertebra type. There were no statistically significant sex differences in timing of fusion, but there was a trend toward early maturation in females for some vertebra or epiphyses. Bilateral epiphyses did not show statistically significant differences in timing of fusion. This study offers information on timing of fusion of diverse epiphyseal locations useful for age estimation of complete or fragmented human skeletal remains.

Three-dimensional morphometrics of thoracic vertebrae in Neandertals and the fossil evidence from El Sidrón (Asturias, Northern Spain)

“…The age at death was only estimated through assessment of the degree of maturation of the thoracic vertebral epiphyses, following data for modern humans provided by Cardoso and Ríos (2011).…”

“…Cases with other pathological conditions affecting the spine were also excluded. Only the first 10 thoracic vertebrae were selected for comparative study (Jellema et al, 1993;Latimer and Ward, 1993), as well as in order to collect the same landmarks in all vertebrae, including those located at the transverse costal facets, the presence of which at T11 and T12 is highly variable (Ríos and Cardoso, 2009;Cardoso and Ríos, 2011).…”

“…This number was estimated by considering those specimens with preservation of overlapping regions from the right transverse process, pedicle, and dorsolateral corner of the body (SD-022, SD-719, SD-1050b, SD-1228, SD-1619, SD-1641, SD-1657, SD-1679, SD-1697, SD-1932. The estimation of the number of individuals represented by these vertebrae was based on the maturation state of the epiphyseal rings from the vertebral bodies and of the epiphyses from the tip of the transverse processes (Cardoso and Ríos, 2011). Complete fusion of the epiphyses from the transverse process was observed in five cases (SD-719, SD-1228, SD-022, SD-1050b, SD-1619), while absence of that epiphysis was The outline of the cranial edges of both laminae presents a V shape.…”

Retracted: A Possible Case of Hypopituitarism in Neolithic China

“…Cranial sutures are incompletely fused, but the degree of fusion was not possible to examine because the endocranium was not examined. For postcranial age‐at‐death, fusion schedules from Buikstra & Ubelaker (), as well as the vertebral annular epiphysis closure schedule from Cardoso & Ríos (), were utilised. Although the left auricular surface is present, because of the congenital pathologies in this individual as well as the somewhat eroded condition of the bone, it was decided not to rely on this age marker.…”

Infants from the Tarapacá 40 cemetery (Northern Chile, Formative Period, 1000 BC–AD 600)

“…Because measurements from radiographies could underestimate age due to parallax effect, several bones were measured and the older age estimation was selected. If no long bones were available, dental development (Shackelford, Stinespring Harris, & Konigsberg, ), vertebral development (Cardoso, Pereira, & Rios, ; Cardoso & Rios, ), pars basilaris (Irurita & Aleman, ), or ischium dimensions (Rissech, Garcıa, & Malgosa, ) was used as age indicators. Bone anomalies considered as possible pathologies were described according to diagnostic palaeoradiological manuals (Beckett & Conlogue, ; Chhem & Brothwell, ) and medical and palaeopathological literature (Aufderheide & Rodríguez‐Martín, ; Ortner, ).…”