Morphometric Imaging for Age Estimation in Adult Thoracic Vertebrae: A Systematic Review

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

Age estimation is crucial in forensic anthropology for identifying unknown individuals. While thoracic vertebrae offer reliable age markers through morphological changes, traditional methods often lack accuracy and consistency. Integrating morphometric imaging enhances precision by providing a quantitative analysis of vertebral morphology. This systematic review summarised the different morphometric imaging techniques used on adult thoracic vertebrae for age estimation. A comprehensive search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, SAE Mobilus, ResearchGate, Semantic Scholar and SpringerLink between 2002 and 2024. The inclusive criteria include English studies that used the anthropometric method using imaging techniques in thoracic vertebrae for age determination. The literature search yielded 49 potentially relevant articles, of which only 11 met the inclusion criteria. The review identified a significant positive relationship between age and most vertebral measurements, yet the correlations are not strong. Although age-related changes do affect vertebral morphology, these changes are often subtle. This study summarises the best method for determining the age of adult thoracic vertebrae, which can be very useful for identifying human remains across different populations. The review identifies the need for further study and acknowledges inherent limitations. These findings underscore the need for prospective research and highlight the potential for developing more advanced techniques to minimise landmarking errors and enhance the reliability of morphometric measurements.