Identification of a jawless skull by superimposing post-mortem and ante-mortem CT

Morio Iino; Hideko Fujimoto; Motonori Yoshida; Hiroshi Matsumoto; Masaki Q. Fujita

doi:10.1016/j.jofri.2015.08.005

Identification of a jawless skull by superimposing post-mortem and ante-mortem CT

Morio Iino, Hideko Fujimoto, Motonori Yoshida, Hiroshi Matsumoto, Masaki Q. Fujita

Department of Legal Medicine

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

9 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

A jawless skull was found in a mountain area during a murder investigation. The skull was thought to belong to a missing male person who had been killed and buried in the area 2 years before. The body could not be identified from fingerprints or dental records since the offenders amputated both his hands and destroyed his jaws. We tried to identify the skull based on antemortem (AM) computed tomography (CT) images of the missing person and the postmortem (PM) CT data of the skull by superimposing the two data sets using imaging software both in two dimension (2D) and three dimension (3D). The results suggested that the two data sets were significantly identical in shape and size by both multi-planar reconstruction (MPR) and 3D volume rendering (VR). We succeeded in identifying the subject using PM CT data of the skull without the jaws and comparing those data with AM CT data of the head. This method is very easy to apply, and its results are far more compelling than other anthropological methods when shown in court to medical non-professionals.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	31-37
Number of pages	7
Journal	Journal of Forensic Radiology and Imaging
Volume	6
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jofri.2015.08.005
Publication status	Published - 2016 Sept 1

Keywords

3D superimposition
Autopsy imaging
Forensic anthropology
Personal identification
Postmortem imaging

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Pathology and Forensic Medicine
Radiology Nuclear Medicine and imaging

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1016/j.jofri.2015.08.005

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title = "Identification of a jawless skull by superimposing post-mortem and ante-mortem CT",

abstract = "A jawless skull was found in a mountain area during a murder investigation. The skull was thought to belong to a missing male person who had been killed and buried in the area 2 years before. The body could not be identified from fingerprints or dental records since the offenders amputated both his hands and destroyed his jaws. We tried to identify the skull based on antemortem (AM) computed tomography (CT) images of the missing person and the postmortem (PM) CT data of the skull by superimposing the two data sets using imaging software both in two dimension (2D) and three dimension (3D). The results suggested that the two data sets were significantly identical in shape and size by both multi-planar reconstruction (MPR) and 3D volume rendering (VR). We succeeded in identifying the subject using PM CT data of the skull without the jaws and comparing those data with AM CT data of the head. This method is very easy to apply, and its results are far more compelling than other anthropological methods when shown in court to medical non-professionals.",

keywords = "3D superimposition, Autopsy imaging, Forensic anthropology, Personal identification, Postmortem imaging",

author = "Morio Iino and Hideko Fujimoto and Motonori Yoshida and Hiroshi Matsumoto and Fujita, {Masaki Q.}",

note = "Funding Information: This case report was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists, (A) Grant of JSPS KAKENHI, Number: 22689024 . Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2015 Elsevier Ltd",

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doi = "10.1016/j.jofri.2015.08.005",

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AU - Iino, Morio

AU - Fujimoto, Hideko

AU - Yoshida, Motonori

AU - Matsumoto, Hiroshi

AU - Fujita, Masaki Q.

PY - 2016/9/1

Y1 - 2016/9/1

N2 - A jawless skull was found in a mountain area during a murder investigation. The skull was thought to belong to a missing male person who had been killed and buried in the area 2 years before. The body could not be identified from fingerprints or dental records since the offenders amputated both his hands and destroyed his jaws. We tried to identify the skull based on antemortem (AM) computed tomography (CT) images of the missing person and the postmortem (PM) CT data of the skull by superimposing the two data sets using imaging software both in two dimension (2D) and three dimension (3D). The results suggested that the two data sets were significantly identical in shape and size by both multi-planar reconstruction (MPR) and 3D volume rendering (VR). We succeeded in identifying the subject using PM CT data of the skull without the jaws and comparing those data with AM CT data of the head. This method is very easy to apply, and its results are far more compelling than other anthropological methods when shown in court to medical non-professionals.

AB - A jawless skull was found in a mountain area during a murder investigation. The skull was thought to belong to a missing male person who had been killed and buried in the area 2 years before. The body could not be identified from fingerprints or dental records since the offenders amputated both his hands and destroyed his jaws. We tried to identify the skull based on antemortem (AM) computed tomography (CT) images of the missing person and the postmortem (PM) CT data of the skull by superimposing the two data sets using imaging software both in two dimension (2D) and three dimension (3D). The results suggested that the two data sets were significantly identical in shape and size by both multi-planar reconstruction (MPR) and 3D volume rendering (VR). We succeeded in identifying the subject using PM CT data of the skull without the jaws and comparing those data with AM CT data of the head. This method is very easy to apply, and its results are far more compelling than other anthropological methods when shown in court to medical non-professionals.

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Identification of a jawless skull by superimposing post-mortem and ante-mortem CT

Abstract

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

UN SDGs

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