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Sonographic assessment of the ossification of the medial clavicular epiphysis in 616 individuals

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Abstract

Establishing radiation-free imaging methods for the assessment of clavicular ossification in forensic age determination is desirable as it reduces radiation exposure in living individuals. For this purpose the stage of ossification of the right medial clavicular epiphysis was determined prospectively using sonography in 309 male and 307 female healthy volunteers. The classification of stages according to Schulz et al. was used for this purpose. Stage 2 was first noticed at the age of 14.4 years in males, and at the age of 14.1 years in females. Stage 3 was first achieved by males at the age of 17.6 years and by females at the age of 17.4 years. Stage 4 first occurred in males at the age of 19.3 years and at the age of 18.9 years in females. The mean age for stage 1 was 13.6 years. The mean age of stage 2 ranged between 17.3 and 17.6 years. For stage 3 the mean age varied from 20.7 to 21.2 years, and for stage 4 from 23.3 to 23.5 years. It was concluded that sonographically determined stage 4 clavicular ossification provides evidence for the completion of the nineteenth year of life in males and the eighteenth year of life in females. In order to increase the reliability of age determination using this method it is recommended that findings be recorded by at least two experienced independent examiners who then reach a consensus.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the fund “Innovative Medical Research” of the University of Münster Medical School (SC 1 2 07 18).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Rechtsmedizin, Röntgenstraße 23, 48149, Münster, Germany

    Ronald Schulz, Heidi Pfeiffer, Sven Schmidt & Andreas Schmeling

  2. Institut für Klinische Radiologie, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, 48149, Münster, Germany

    Manfred Schiborr

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  1. Ronald Schulz
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  2. Manfred Schiborr
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  3. Heidi Pfeiffer
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  4. Sven Schmidt
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  5. Andreas Schmeling
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Correspondence to Ronald Schulz.

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Schulz, R., Schiborr, M., Pfeiffer, H. et al. Sonographic assessment of the ossification of the medial clavicular epiphysis in 616 individuals. Forensic Sci Med Pathol 9, 351–357 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12024-013-9440-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12024-013-9440-8

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