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.

Postmortem computed tomography assessment of skeletal and dental age in Polish children, adolescents, and young adults.

This paper presents a retrospective analysis of postmortem computed tomography (PMCT) scans of secondary ossification centers in the medial clavicular epiphysis, iliac crest apophysis, proximal humeral epiphysis, distal femoral epiphysis, proximal tibial epiphysis, and distal tibial epiphysis. At the same time, we analyzed PMCT scans of the maxillary and mandibular incisors, canines, premolars, and molars. We assessed 203 corpses, whose age ranged from 2 to 30 years, including 156 males and 47 females. The purpose of our study was to compare the processes of secondary ossification center fusion and permanent tooth maturation. Our research hypothesis was that certain stages of skeletal and dental maturation occur along consistent timelines that can be related to the chronological age. Secondary ossification center fusion was evaluated based on Kreitner and also McKern and Steward's classifications. The process of permanent tooth maturation was evaluated with Demirjian's method. Spearman's correlation coefficients (Rho) were positive in all analyses, which indicates that epiphyseal fusion progresses with age. The strongest relationship between the age and the stages of ossification was observed in the proximal tibial epiphysis (p < 0.001; Rho = 0.93) in females and in the medial clavicular epiphysis (p < 0.001; Rho = 0.77) in males. Studies show the importance of concomitant analysis of skeletal and dental maturation with a subsequent comparison of the results to achieve a greater precision in age estimation. A comparison of the results obtained in the study population of Polish children, adolescents, and young adults with the results of other studies in populations of similar ages showed a number of similarities in the time windows of dental and skeletal maturation. These similarities may help in age estimation.

Skeletal and dental age estimation via postmortem computed tomography in Polish subadults group.

This article is a retrospective analysis of postmortem computed tomography scans of ossification stages of the anterior and posterior intra-occipital sutures, the anterior arch of the atlas, and the neurocentral junction of the axis. We also analyzed the development of secondary ossification centers in the proximal humeral, femoral, and tibial epiphyses, and the distal femoral and tibial epiphyses. Additionally, the development of primary ossification centers in the wrist and metacarpals, and maxillary and mandibular deciduous tooth maturation. A total of 58 cadavers (35 males, 23 females), whose age ranged from 3rd month of pregnancy to 14 years, were analyzed. The results of this study show that analysis of synchondrosis closure, primary, and secondary ossification center development and deciduous tooth changes are a good tool for age estimation in subadults group (fetuses, newborns, infants, and children). The results of the study in a Polish population are consistent with those reported by other authors.

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.

Complete sagittal suture closure evaluation based on post mortem computed tomography.

Age assessment at the time of death is of great importance when an unidentified skeleton or corpse is found. Obliteration of cranial sutures has been used for age assessment regarding anthropology as non - metrical method of direct bone inspection. The aim of our study was to assess sagittal suture closure in the contemporary population of Polish men using postmortem computed tomography. A total of 255 male skulls were analyzed with the use of multiplanar reconstruction (MPR) and volume rendering technique (VRT) images, which were based on whole-body postmortem computed tomography scans. The individuals of Polish origin were of precisely known metrical age. The sagittal sutures were analyzed across their entire thickness (including both the outer and inner aspect of bone) and along their entire length via frontal sections, using the sagittal suture division into 4 segments. This study showed that the earliest signs of suture closure occur in S4 on the inner side of the calvaria at a mean age of 50.48 years, but the youngest person with starting obliteration process was 13.37 years. This is prove that exist variability which must be count during biological age estimation. Additionally, VRT visualisation shows that the fourth state of obliteration does not mean that obliteration was ended. Further analyses of cranial suture closure are needed to obtain reliable methods for postmortem estimation of the age at the time of death in contemporary populations. The use of postmortem computed tomography may offer additional opportunities for contemporary analysis of skeletal material.

Etiology, Clinical Presentation and Incidence of Infectious Meningitis and Encephalitis in Polish Children.

Little is known about the causes and the frequency of meningitis and encephalitis in Poland. We did a retrospective single-center cohort study of children under 18 years old hospitalized with infectious meningitis or encephalitis. Incidence rates were calculated using collected data from patients from the North-East Poland only. A total of 374 children hospitalized between 1 January 2015 and 31 December 2019 were included in the study. A total of 332 (89%) children had meningitis, and 42 (11%) had encephalitis. The etiology of the infection was established in 331 (89%) cases. Enteroviruses accounted for 224 (60%) of all patients. A total of 68 (18%) cases were tick-borne infections. Bacterial pathogens were detected in 26 (7%) children. The median length of hospital stay for children with enteroviral meningitis was 7 days (IQR 7-9), increasing to 11 days (8-13) in those treated with antibiotics. The incidence of meningitis was estimated to be 32.22 (95% CI, 25.33-40.98) per 100,000 and that of encephalitis to be 4.08 (95% CI, 2.07-8.02) per 100,000. By the broad use of molecular diagnostic methods, we managed to identify etiology of the infection in the majority of children. Our data suggest that thorough diagnostics of central nervous system infections are needed to rationalize treatment.