A Computed Tomographic Analysis of Spheno-Occipital Synchondrosis Ossification for Age Estimation in a Sample of Egyptians

Characterization of Spheno-occipital Synchondrosis Fusion From Preadolescents to Young Adults Using Age and Cervical Vertebrae Maturation Index

The purpose of this study was to characterize the spheno-occipital synchondrosis fusion (SOSF) from preadolescents to young adults. A total of 630 Korean subjects (308 men, 322 women; age range, 6-18 y) were divided into 26 groups according to sex and age. After 3-dimensional computed tomography (CT) images were reoriented using the Frankfort horizontal (FH) plane, mid-sagittal plane, and frontal plane via ON3D software (3DONS), the cervical vertebrae maturation index (CVMI) and SOSF stages were identified using 6-stage and 5-stage scoring systems, respectively. The distributions of stage in each group were statistically investigated. Women showed early appearance and a short range of onset (CVMI stage 2, SOSF stage 2), middle (CVMI stage 4, SOSF stage 3 and stage 4), and completion (CVMI stage 6, SOSF stage 5), indicating rapid skeletal maturation compared with men. In both males and females, there were strong positive correlations between age and CVMI stage (rs=0.902, rs=0.890), between age and SOSF stage (rs=0.887, rs=0.885), and between CVMI and SOSF stages (rs=0.955, rs=0.964) (all P<0.001). The mean ages at SOSF stage 3 and stage 4 (12.7~13.9 y in males and 11.0~12.5 y in females) could be used as indicators of the pubertal growth peak. Regression equations for SOSF stage (y), age (a), and CVMI stage (b) were as follows: y=1.355-(0.133×a)+(0.29007×b)+(0.041×a×b) for males (r2=0.9496); y=1.305-(0.158×a)+(0.455×b)+(0.036×a×b) for females (r2=0.9606). Ordinal logistic regression analyses with the proportional odds model showed that females had more advanced SOSF stages than males (odds ratio: 1.972; 95% CI: 1.063-3.658, P<0.05). Our findings may provide basic references for CVMI and SOSF from preadolescents to young adults.

Analysis of various radiological age-assessment methods in children, adolescents and young adults regarding the differences between the sexes and sides of the body - A comparative review

A total of 76 articles published within the last twenty years, indexed in the PubMed and ResearchGate databases, were reviewed in order to compare medical imaging-based methods of age estimation of children, adolescents and young adults. The evaluated studies were analyzed for any statistically significant differences between the sexes and sides of the body, sample sizes, and population age. Irrespective of the evaluation method, there were some studies that showed a statistically significant differences in ossification stages between the male and female groups. Most of the studies whose authors conducted a statistical analysis demonstrated no significant differences between the left and right side of the body.

Rethinking the Origin of the Primary Respiratory Mechanism

Spheno-occipital synchondrosis (SOS) is the joint regarded as the most important foundation for understanding cranial osteopathy and craniosacral therapy. SOS is the origin of the primary respiratory mechanism (PRM), a movement between the posterior surface of the body of the sphenoid bone and the anterior surface of the base of the occipital bone. From the PRM perspective, an alteration of the position between the two bone surfaces would create cranial and/or craniosacral dysfunction. These positional alterations of the SOS (in adults and children) would determine specific and schematical movements of the bones of the entire skull, whose movements are recognizable by palpation by trained operators. PRM expression is influenced by other elements, such as movement of the cranial bones, inherent movement of the central nervous system, cyclic movement of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), mechanical tension of the cranial meninges, and passive movement of the sacral bone between the iliac bones. The article reviews the most up-to-date information on the evolution of cranial sutures/joints and meninges in adulthood, the fluctuations of the CSF, brain, and spinal mass movements. Research should reconsider the motivations that induce the operator to discriminate the palpable cranial rhythmic impulse, and probably, to rethink new cranial dysfunctional patterns.

The fusion of ossification centers - A comparative review of radiographic and other imaging modalities of age assessment in living groups of children, adolescents, and young adults

A total of 227 articles published within the last twenty years, indexed in the PUBMED and Researchgate databases, were reviewed for the purpose of comparing medical imaging-based methods of age estimation. The evaluated studies were analyzed in terms of the assessed parts of the body, age, and epiphyseal fusion ages in children, adolescents, and young adults. Our analysis showed that an overwhelming majority of studies had been based on computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. A comparison of the studies showed that, irrespective of the imaging modality and the nationality of study population cohorts, the rates of development and the ages at which the process of ossification begins and ends show certain trends.

Cone-Beam Computed Tomography: A New Tool on the Horizon for Forensic Dentistry

Teeth and bones of calvarium are important structures from a forensic point of view, as they are extremely resilient to destruction or decomposition, even under temperature variations. Radiology is inevitably an important tool in forensic investigations. Maxillofacial radiology provides a considerable amount of information for the identification of remains and evidence in case of legal matters. The advent of cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) in the arena of maxillofacial 3D imaging has contributed immensely to forensic science such as the age estimation through teeth, analysis of bite marks, determination of race and sex, etc. The advantages of accuracy in imaging the anatomy, digitized technology favoring easier comparison of records and storage of records for a longer period, cost reduction, dose reduction, and easier portability have made it an unavoidable adjunct in forensic investigations. The aim of this paper is to review and highlight the importance of CBCT in successful forensic identification and analysis. This review is written to address the various aspects of CBCT as a recently developed technology that may be very useful in some forensic contexts, based on searches for current studies in the literature using PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases, to identify studies published since inception to December 2021, with no language restriction. In conclusion, CBCT is an accessible 3D imaging technology with many applications, one of them being in forensic sciences.