Identification by frontal sinus pattern in forensic anthropology

doi:10.1016/S0379-0738(96)02033-6

Forensic Science International

Volume 83, Issue 2, 2 December 1996, Pages 147-153

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0379-0738(96)02033-6 Get rights and content

Abstract

The authors report forensic cases from the literature, as well as two personal homicide cases, of identification through comparison of frontal sinus radiographs. A general discussion about identification using frontal sinus X-rays is presented, pointing out the reliability of the method, in reference to the uniqueness of the frontal sinus in humans, but also some difficulties, especially in reference to the distance, orientation and angle of the X-ray technique.

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Rumor has it: A narrative review on the use of skeletal non-metric traits and variants for personal identification
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The human skeleton displays an immense array of traits and variant features that are elements of inter-individual variability. The general assumption is that they may represent individualizing markers for the personal identification of unidentified decedents, but very few works consider them as such. This review provides an overview on the possible use of non-metric traits and skeletal variants for personal identification. The paper discusses the issues related to unquantified comparisons, then it presents a statistical approach based on frequencies of these features for identifying unknown remains. Narrowing down an initial number of 1000 papers, the core of the review is represented by 10 papers that considered non-metric traits and skeletal variants as individualizing features, according to both qualitative and quantitative assessments. Despite visual examination remains the gold-standard, more sound methods are requested to quantify the strength of a match or a mismatch. This especially applies in the wake of juridical demands, hence also satisfying the desire of prosecutors and judges to rely on a “quantified” risk. To this purpose, non-metric traits and skeletal variants seem to be a suitable tool to provide quantified evidence, when related frequencies are known.
Frontal Sinus Morphometry in Relation to Surgically Relevant Landmarks in the Middle East Population: Can We Globalize?
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The frontal bone is frequently approached during neurosurgical procedures. Feared complications of such surgeries include cerebrospinal fluid leak, among others, and frequently result from a breach of the frontal sinus. For this reason, the sinus should be avoided when possible. The supraorbital notch (SON) is a reliable and easily identifiable surgical landmark and its relation to the frontal sinus has been previously studied. However, the frontal sinus shows significant variability in size and shape between populations.
In the present study, we investigate the frontal sinus dimension and its relation to the SON in the Middle Eastern population.
The analysis of a set of computed tomography scans reveals a significant variation in size between genders, and we subsequently provide neurosurgeons in the region with population-targeted, gender-specific risk maps.
We finally conclude that a 2-cm margin rostral and lateral to the SON is safest.
Performance analysis of real-coded evolutionary algorithms under a computationally expensive optimization scenario: 3D–2D Comparative Radiography
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Real-coded evolutionary algorithms have solved numerous real-world optimization problems. In this work, we aim to analyze the behavior and robustness of several real-coded evolutionary algorithms from the state of the art in a challenging real world optimization problem. This optimization problem consists on the superimposition of 3D and 2D images of skeletal structures (i.e. bones and cavities) based on their silhouette. This task is required for the automation of a forensic identification technique known as comparative radiography, via the generation of the best projection of the 3D image with respect to the 2D image. This superimposition problem was tackled in a recent proposal using an evolutionary 3D–2D image registration method based on differential evolution. However, the results obtained were insufficient for its use in real scenarios, due to: (1) the complexity and multi-modality of search space, despite the reduced number of parameters to be optimized (7 in its simple version and 9 in a more complex one, proposed in this work); and (2) the high computational cost of generating and evaluating a superimposition. Particularly, we have performed a rigorous comparative study of six state-of-the-art real-coded evolutionary algorithms (DE, L-SHADE, CMA-ES, BIPOP-CMA-ES, CRO-SL, and MVMO-SH) with synthetic images of three forensic anatomical structures (frontal sinuses, clavicles, and patellae), showing that the best results are always obtained by MVMO-SH in terms of precision, robustness and computational cost. Furthermore, we have validated the quality of the superimpositions obtained by the evolutionary image registration method using MVMO-SH with real images of frontal sinuses. We have performed the comparison of 50 head radiographs and 50 3D images, resulting in 2,500 cross-comparisons (50 positive and 2,450 negatives). The obtained results are promising since the superimpositions obtained allowed us to filter out 88% of the possible candidates with 0 error rate in a fully automatic manner, showing the high quality of the superimposition obtained.
Frontal sinus index for sex estimation: Is it possible?
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This study aimed to evaluate the sex predictive value of the frontal sinus index (FSI) assessed on lateral cephalometric and cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images in a sample of Egyptian population.
100 digital lateral cephalometric and 100 CBCT images, each consisting of 50 males and 50 females, of known age and sex were retrospectively collected. The patients' images were subdivided into two equal groups according to their age: below 18 years and at or above 18 years. The maximum anteroposterior frontal sinus width (FSW) and height (FSH) were measured by two radiologists on both images then the FSI was calculated. The patients' data including sex, age, FSW, FSH and FSI were tabulated and statistically analyzed.
Upon comparing both sexes, cephalometric FSI was found to be statistically significantly different at the below 18 years age group and when using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, the index could only act as a poor sex predictor (area under curve: 0.66). For the logistic regression analysis, cephalometric FSW was found to be the only sex predictor at or above 18 years age group in the last step of the stepwise logistic regression. According to this equation, 68% of males and 64% of females were correctly predicted with an overall accuracy of 66%.
Despite that sexual dimorphism could exist, frontal sinus index (FSI), whether assessed on CBCT or cephalometric radiographic images, has poor value as a sex predictor in the studied age groups.
Strengthening the role of forensic anthropology in personal identification: Position statement by the Board of the Forensic Anthropology Society of Europe (FASE)
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In this position statement, the Board members of the Forensic Anthropology Society of Europe (FASE) argue that forensic anthropology methods can be used as means of personal identification, particularly in situations with limited availability of traditional identification methods (i.e. dactyloscopy, odontology, and molecular genetic analysis). This statement has been issued taking into account the international migration crises related to thousands of deaths worldwide, in which the utility of these traditional means of identification has been sporadic to non-existent. The statement is however not limited to deaths related to the migration crises, as similar problems may occur in fatalities en masse such as in natural disasters and armed conflicts, and on a smaller scale in cases of homeless or otherwise socioeconomically disadvantaged persons. The number of reports on personal identification based on sound anthropological methodology is increasing in the scientific literature. However, more research is needed to develop evidence-based standard operating procedures and statistical frameworks. It remains essential to raise awareness among forensic practitioners, law enforcement, and judiciary professionals on the utility of forensic anthropology in cases where it can provide sufficient information for identification.
Revisiting global patterns of frontal sinus aplasia utilizing computed tomography
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While frontal sinus aplasia (agenesis, absence) has been proposed as a potential marker in forensic positive identifications, frequency rates are likely dependent upon how presence is defined. This study investigates how two methods of defining frontal sinus presence affects aplasia frequency rates. Using CT scans of 772 adult individuals from diverse geographic regions, frontal sinus presence was assessed two ways: 1) the XR-method— coded present if the sinus extended above the supra-orbital line, and 2) the CT-method— coded present with any indication of the frontal sinus. The XR-method consistently provided higher aplasia frequencies, averaging an 18.31% discrepancy with the CT-method. Method discrepancies were higher in females (averaged-sides: 24.6%) than males (averaged-sides: 13.82%). Oceanian individuals displayed the highest aplasia rates using either method, and the highest discrepancy between methods (averaged-sides: 31.30%); Europeans, displaying the lowest aplasia rates in either method, also displayed the lowest method discrepancy (average-sides: 7.37%). Fisher’s Exact tests on the biologically-defined CT aplasia rates indicate females are significantly different from males for unilateral aplasia (p = 0.0035); Arctic populations are significantly different from most groups (all p < 0.005), exception being Oceanian. Results suggest the lower, biologically-defined CT aplasia rates are more useful in corroborating identifications than the inflated XR frequencies and illustrate the importance of citing aplasia rates from similarly-composed samples. However, due to practicality and resource availability, the XR-method may be more appropriate. Most importantly, reported aplasia rates from one method should be cited in casework utilizing the other method.

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Identification by frontal sinus pattern in forensic anthropology

Abstract

Forensic Sci. Int.

Roentgenographic identification of human remains

J. Am. Med. Assoc.

Personal identification by radiographic comparison of vascular groove patterns of the calvarium

Am. J. Forensic Med. Pathol.

Radiographic identification by mastoid sinus and arterial pattern

J. Forensic Sci.

L'identification des corps par le v-test

La Presse Medicale

Das Roentgenogramm der Stirnhole. Ein Hilfsmittel für die Identitatsbestimmung von Schadlen

Monatsschrift für Ohrenheilkunde und Laryngo-Rhinologie

Identification by comparison of roentgenograms of nasal accessory sinuses and mastoid processes

J. Am. Med. Assoc.

Radiology and its forensic application

Identification by skull superimposition

Int. J. Forensic Dent.

Radiologic examination of anatomic parts and skeletonized remains

J. Forensic Sci.

Identification of human remains by comparison of frontal sinus radiographs: a series of four cases

J. Forensic Sci.