Journal of Indian Academy of Forensic Medicine
  • Year: 2009
  • Volume: 31
  • Issue: 2

Estimation of age by morphological study of sternal end of fourth ribs in males

  • Author:
  • Yogesh Tyagi1,, Ajay Kumar1, Anil Kohli2, K. K. Banerjee2
  • Total Page Count: 8
  • Page Number: 87 to 94

1Department of Forensic Medicine, V.M.M.C & Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi.

2Department of Forensic Medicine, U.C.M.S & G.T.B Hospital, Delhi.

*Corresponding author

Abstract

A number of bones undergo various age related morphological changes but only a few have been studied for age determination. The existing method for age determination using sternal end of 4th rib was developed by Iscan et al for American white1,2 population and later on applied by Oettle and Steyn3 on South African blacks. Both sided sternal fourth ribs were collected at autopsy from 77 males, only 20 years and above because morphological changes were not observed until this age. Each rib was examined in relation to the pit depth (component-I), pit shape (component-II), and rim & wall configuration (component-III).

The data was designed on a master chart, and analyzed statistically using SPSS programs CROSSTABS, BREAKDOWN and ONE WAY analysis of variance.

Keywords

Age estimation, morphology, sternal end of fourth rib