Skeletal age estimation of living adolescents and young adults: A pilot study on conventional radiography versus magnetic resonance imaging and staging technique versus atlas method.

Objective: To compare conventional radiography (CR) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the left hand/wrist and both clavicles for forensic age estimation of adolescents and young adults.

Materials And Methods: CR and MRI were prospectively conducted in 108 healthy Caucasian volunteers (52 males, 56 females) aged 16 to 21 years. Skeletal development was assessed by allocating stages (wrist, clavicles) and atlas standards (hand/wrist).

Dental and Skeletal Imaging in Forensic Age Estimation: Disparities in Current Approaches and the Continuing Search for Optimization.

Medical imaging for forensic age estimation in living adolescents and young adults continues to be controversial and a subject of discussion. Because age estimation based on medical imaging is well studied, it is the current gold standard. However, large disparities exist between the centers conducting age estimation, both between and within countries.

The influence of motion artefacts on magnetic resonance imaging of the clavicles for age estimation.

Purpose: To determine how motion affects stage allocation to the clavicle's sternal end on MRI.

Materials And Methods: Eighteen volunteers (9 females, 9 males) between 14 and 30 years old were prospectively scanned with 3-T MRI. One resting-state scan was followed by five intentional motion scans.

Multi-factorial age estimation: A Bayesian approach combining dental and skeletal magnetic resonance imaging.

Purpose: To study age estimation performance of combined magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data of all four third molars, the left wrist and both clavicles in a reference population of females and males. To study the value of adding anthropometric and sexual maturation data.

Materials And Methods: Three Tesla MRI of the three anatomical sites was prospectively conducted from March 2012 to May 2017 in 14- to 26-year-old healthy Caucasian volunteers (160 females, 138 males).

Effect of Lower Third Molar Segmentations on Automated Tooth Development Staging using a Convolutional Neural Network.

Staging third molar development is commonly used for age estimation in subadults. Automated developmental stage allocation to the mandibular left third molar in panoramic radiographs has been examined in a pilot study. This method used an AlexNet Deep Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) approach to stage lower left third molars, which had been selected by manually drawn bounding boxes around them.

Staging Clavicular Development on MRI: Pitfalls and Suggestions for Age Estimation.

Background: MRI of the clavicle's sternal end has been studied for age estimation. Several pitfalls have been noted, but how they affect age estimation performance remains unclear.

Purpose/hypothesis: To further study these pitfalls and to make suggestions for a proper use of clavicle MRI for forensic age estimation.

Forensic age estimation based on T1 SE and VIBE wrist MRI: do a one-fits-all staging technique and age estimation model apply?

Objectives: Providing recommendations for wrist MRI in age estimation by determining (1) which anatomical structures to include in the statistical model, (2) which MRI sequence to conduct, and (3) which staging technique to apply.

Methods: Radius and ulna were prospectively studied on 3 T MRI in 363 healthy Caucasian participants (185 females, 178 males) between 14 and 26 years old, using T1 spin echo (SE) and T1 gradient echo VIBE. Bone development was assessed applying a 5-stage staging technique with several amelioration attempts to optimise staging.

Magnetic resonance imaging of third molars in forensic age estimation: comparison of the Ghent and Graz protocols focusing on apical closure.

Purpose: To compare the Ghent and Graz magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) protocols for third molars, focusing on the assessment of apical closure. To study the influence of (1) voxel size and (2) head fixation using a bite bar. To compare both protocols with a ground truth of apical development.