The Digital Atlas of Skeletal Maturity by Gilsanz and Ratib: a Suitable Alternative for Age Estimation of Living Individuals in Criminal Proceedings?

Overview

Journal Int J Legal Med

Specialty Forensic Sciences

Date 2009 Aug 19

PMID 19688219

Citations 5

Authors

Sven Schmidt

Inna Nitz

Ronald Schulz

Michael Tsokos

Andreas Schmeling

Affiliations

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Abstract

As a collection of radiographic standards of the normal hand development with a homogenous degree of maturity of all skeletal elements, the digital atlas of skeletal maturity by Gilsanz and Ratib combines the possibilities of digital imaging with the principle of a conventional atlas method. The present paper analyses the forensic applicability of skeletal age assessment according to Gilsanz and Ratib to age estimation in criminal proceedings. For this, the hand X-rays of 180 children and adolescents aged 10-18 years old were examined retrospectively. For the entire age range, the minima and maxima, the mean values and standard deviations as well as the medians with upper and lower quartiles are specified by sex. For the legally relevant age groups from 14 to 18 years, there is a risk of overestimation of the chronological age of up to 7.2 months in females. The method of Gilsanz and Ratib is therefore only suitable to forensic age estimation in criminal proceedings to a limited extent.

Citing Articles

Comparison of Bone Age Assessments by Gruelich-Pyle, Gilsanz-Ratib, and Tanner Whitehouse Methods in Healthy Indian Children.

Shah N, Khadilkar V, Lohiya N, Prasad H, Patil P, Gondhalekar K Indian J Endocrinol Metab. 2021; 25(3):240-246.

PMID: 34760680 PMC: 8547392. DOI: 10.4103/ijem.IJEM_826_20.

Age dependence of epiphyseal ossification of the distal radius in ultrasound diagnostics.

Schmidt S, Schiborr M, Pfeiffer H, Schmeling A, Schulz R Int J Legal Med. 2013; 127(4):831-8.

PMID: 23708645 DOI: 10.1007/s00414-013-0871-2.

Skeletal age determination of the hand: a comparison of methods.

Schmidt S, Nitz I, Ribbecke S, Schulz R, Pfeiffer H, Schmeling A Int J Legal Med. 2013; 127(3):691-8.

PMID: 23483207 DOI: 10.1007/s00414-013-0845-4.

Sonographic evaluation of apophyseal ossification of the iliac crest in forensic age diagnostics in living individuals.

Schmidt S, Schmeling A, Zwiesigk P, Pfeiffer H, Schulz R Int J Legal Med. 2011; 125(2):271-6.

PMID: 21360260 DOI: 10.1007/s00414-011-0554-9.

Assessment of the radiographic visibility of the periodontal ligament in the lower third molars for the purpose of forensic age estimation in living individuals.

Olze A, Solheim T, Schulz R, Kupfer M, Pfeiffer H, Schmeling A Int J Legal Med. 2010; 124(5):445-8.

PMID: 20623296 DOI: 10.1007/s00414-010-0488-7.

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