Korean J Phys Anthropol.  2007 Sep;20(3):179-187.

Morphometric Analysis of the Korean Thyroid Cartilage for Age-estimation : Radiographic Study

• Park DK
• Ko JS
• Kim MS
• Chun MH
• Han SH

Abstract

The thyroid cartilage, which is the biggest cartilage in laryngeal cartilages, undergoes the osseous changes with advancing age and the process is ordinary endochondral ossification. With respect to the spread pattern of ossification, there are several reports but study about the Korean is negligible. The purpose of this study is to estimate the age based on radiographic analysis of the Korean thyroid cartilage. Dedicated mammography was carried out on 124 specimens of the thyroid cartilage including 76 males and 48 females. We measured 14 qualitative measurements. The results were as followed ; The Ratio of radio-opacity exhibited increasing value with advancing age on both sexes. The ossification began at the posterior border and involved orderly the inferior border, the anterior angle (anterior border) and notch as advancing age in male subjects. We could propose the pattern of ossification for age-estimation in Korean male subjects. Concerning the female subjects, we could not propose the relation between age and the pattern of ossification. In conclusion, we can estimate the age for male subjects by radiographic quantitative analysis of the Korean thyroid cartilage.

Keyword

Estimation of the age; Thyroid cartilage; Korean

MeSH Terms

Cartilage
Female
Humans
Laryngeal Cartilages
Male
Mammography
Thyroid Cartilage*
Thyroid Gland*