Bone Age Assessment Based on Different MRI Modalities of the Proximal Humerus Epiphysis: the Comparisons of TWI, TWI, and PDWI

Overview

Journal Int J Legal Med

Specialty Forensic Sciences

Date 2024 Feb 9

PMID 38332350

Authors

Yu-Su Jiao

Yilitabier Tuerhong

Cheng-Xu Chen

Xin-Hua Dai

Ting Lu

Zhao Peng

Zhen-Hua Deng

Fei Fan

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Bone age assessment (BAA) is crucial in various fields, including legal proceedings, athletic competitions, and clinical medicine. However, the use of X-ray methods for age estimation without medical indication is subject to ethical debate, especially in forensic and athletic fields. The application of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with non-ionizing radiation can overcome this limitation in BAA. This study aimed to compare the application value of several MRI modalities of proximal humeral in BAA. A total of 468 patients with shoulder MRIs were retrospectively collected from a Chinese Han population aged 12-30 years (259 males and 209 females) for training and testing, including T weighted MRI (TWI), T weighted MRI (TWI), and Proton density weighted MRI (PDWI). Optimal regression models were established for age estimation, yielding mean absolute error (MAE) values below 2.0 years. The MAE values of TWI were the lowest, with 1.700 years in males and 1.798 years in females. The area under the curve (AUC) and accuracy values of different MRI modalities of 16-year and 18-year thresholds were all around 0.9. For the 18-year threshold, TWI outperformed TWI and PDWI. In conclusion, the three MRI modalities of the proximal humerus can serve as reliable indicators for age assessment, while the TWI performed better in age assessment and classification.

Citing Articles

T2-weighted spoiled gradient echo MRI for forensic age estimation: a study on knee growth plates.

Ekizoglu O, Er A, Hocaoglu E, Bozdag M, Grabherr S Int J Legal Med. 2024; 139(1):245-252.

PMID: 39395034 PMC: 11732773. DOI: 10.1007/s00414-024-03345-6.

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