Evaluation of the pelvic apophysis with multi-detector computed tomography for legal age estimation in living individuals

BACKGROUND: Legal age estimations of living individuals are gaining increasing importance for radiologists involved in delivering expert opinions. The present study aimed to assess the correlation between chronological age and apophyseal centers distance from pelvic bone. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study carried out on 2013. Subjects were chosen from 15 to 25 years old people who had previous pelvic multi-detector computed tomography for any reason. The distance of iliac crest apophysis to iliac bone, and pubic apophysis to pubic bone were assessed. RESULTS: There was a reverse linear correlation between chronological age and distance of iliac crest apophysis (P < 0.001, r = 0.899) and pubic apophysis to pelvic bone (P < 0.001, r = 0.898). Pubic apophysis was not appeared in subjects before 16 years old and it was appeared in all of the subjects with 18 years old and more. Subjects with age of 21 had near ossification of iliac or pubic apophysis and subjects with age of 24 had full ossification of iliac or pubic apophysis. CONCLUSION: skeletalage can be estimated by assessing the apophyseal centers distance from the pelvic bone in adolescents 15-25 years old.