The iliac crest in forensic age diagnostics: evaluation of the apophyseal ossification in conventional radiography

Due to the increasing significance of forensic age estimations in the age of globalisation, novel radiographic criteria besides clavicles and hand bones may provide additional certainty for forensic age expertises. The present study analyses the suitability of the iliac crest apophysis by means of 643 pelvic radiographs of patients between 10 and 30 years of age. Retrospective assessments were carried out according to the forensically established classification and sub-classification systems modified after Kreitner et al. (Rofo 166(6):481-486, 1997) and Kellinghaus et al. (Int J Legal Med 124(4):321-325, 2010). The basic ossification stages range from 1 to 4, and the sub-stages of stage 2 and 3 range from a to c. While stage 3c was first achieved at the age of 15 by both sexes, stage 4 was first observed in females at the age of 16 and in males at the age of 17. This indicates the possibility of a valid diagnosis of both the age of 14 and the age of 16 years which represent legally relevant age thresholds in numerous countries. Applied as targeted radiography on the iliac crest, the exposure to radiation would range between other radiographic techniques recently applied. Therefore, the iliac crest apophysis appears principally suitable as novel possible criterion for forensic age estimation in the living. However, for the establishment of the iliac crest apophysis in routine diagnostics, further studies are needed focussing on the comparison of different grading systems and different radiological techniques.