Age estimation from radiological examination of thyroid cartilage in North Kerala population

Establishment of identity remains the key aims in a medico legal autopsy. Identity of a person can be made from his race, stature, age, sex etc. for living persons the establishing of identity is not a difficult task but not so in cases of dead persons. The problem is more challenging if the skeletal remains only was available for medico legal examination. Determination of age was carried out from various changes in bones and cartilages including fusion of epiphyses, ossification changes, regression changes etc. Thyroid cartilage being the largest cartilage of the laryngeal complex was studied by various researchers for its relationship with age and ossification. However studies on thyroid cartilages for age determination was lacking in North Kerala population. In this study thyroid cartilages from 203 males and 200 females were collected during autopsy conducted in dept of Forensic medicine and was subjected to radiological examination so as to find out its relationship with age. The observations were analyzed with SPSS software. A linear relationship with ossification changes in thyroid cartilage with age was established both in males and females. Characteristic pattern of ossification was derived in both sexes and distinct stages were identified which were different from previous studies.