Discrete Traits of the Sternum and Ribs: A Useful Contribution to Identification in Forensic Anthropology and Medicine

During forensic anthropological investigation, biological profile is determined by age, sex, ancestry, and stature. However, several individuals may share the same profile. Observation of discrete traits can yield useful information and contribute to identification. This research establishes the fre...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of forensic sciences 2013-05, Vol.58 (3), p.571-577
Main Authors: Verna, Emeline, Piercecchi-Marti, Marie-Dominique, Chaumoitre, Kathia, Bartoli, Christophe, Leonetti, Georges, Adalian, Pascal
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Age Determination by Skeleton
Age Determination by Skeleton - methods
Bioengineering
Biological anthropology
CT scans
discrete traits
Female
Forensic Anthropology
Forensic medicine
forensic science
Human remains
Humanities and Social Sciences
Humans
identification
Imaging
Imaging, Three-Dimensional
Life Sciences
Male
Middle Aged
modern population
Population
Ribs
Ribs - anatomy & histology
Ribs - diagnostic imaging
Sex Determination by Skeleton
Sex Determination by Skeleton - methods
Sternum
Sternum - anatomy & histology
Sternum - diagnostic imaging
Tomography
Tomography, X-Ray Computed
Young Adult
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:During forensic anthropological investigation, biological profile is determined by age, sex, ancestry, and stature. However, several individuals may share the same profile. Observation of discrete traits can yield useful information and contribute to identification. This research establishes the frequency of discrete traits of the sternum and ribs in a modern population in southern France, using 500 computer tomography (CT) scans of individuals aged 15–60 years. Only discrete traits with a frequency lower than 10% according to the literature were considered, a total of eight traits. All scans examined were three‐dimensional (3D) volume renderings from DICOM images. In our population, the frequency of all the discrete traits was lower than 5%. None were associated with sex or age, with the exception of a single trait, the end of the xiphoid process. Our findings can usefully be applied for identification purposes in forensic anthropology and medicine.
ISSN:0022-1198
1556-4029
DOI:10.1111/1556-4029.12111