Development of an age estimation method for the coxal bone and lumbar vertebrae obtained from post-mortem computed tomography images using a convolutional neural network.

OBJECTIVES: Age estimation plays a major role in the identification of unknown dead bodies, including skeletal remains. We present a novel age estimation method developed by applying a deep-learning network to the coxal bone and lumbar vertebrae on post-mortem computed tomography (PMCT) images.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: The coxal bone and lumbar vertebrae were targeted in this study. Volume-rendered images of these bones from 1,229 individuals were captured and input to a convolutional neural network based on the visual geometry group 16 network. A transfer learning strategy was employed. The predictive capabilities of age estimation models were assessed by a 10-fold cross-validation procedure, with mean absolute error (MAE) and correlation coefficients between chronological and estimated ages calculated for validation. In addition, gradient-weighted class activation mapping (Grad-CAM) was conducted to visualize the regions of interest in learning.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The estimation models created showed low MAE (range, 7.27-6.44 years) and high correlation coefficients (range, 0.84-0.91) in the validation. Aging-induced shape changes were grossly observed at the vertebral body, coxal bone surface, and other sites. The Grad-CAM results identified these as regions of interest in learning. The present method has the potential to become an age estimation tool that is routinely applied in the examination of unknown dead bodies, including skeletal remains.