NCJ Number
224708
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 53 Issue: 5 Dated: September 2008 Pages: 1023-1027
Date Published
September 2008
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This study examined the use of radiographic analysis of laryngeal structures in order to determine age-at-death.
Abstract
The study found that, at best, the change/development into bone (ossification) of laryngeal structures as a measure of age provided only a general indication of age, such as juvenile, young adult, and middle-aged adult. The lack of high correlation between age and ossification of the laryngeal structures suggests that other variables known to influence bone, such as pathology, nutrition, hormones, mechanical stress, or genetics may be involved. Thus, as a precise measure of age, the ossification of laryngeal structures is an inaccurate measure of age. For this study, isolated human laryngeal structures were removed at autopsy from 104 individuals between the ages of 15 and 89, and then radiographically examined. The cricoid and individual regions of the thyroid cartilage were scored according to degree of ossification, and the relationship between age and degree of ossification were statistically determined. 4 tables, 3 figures, and 15 references