Forensic age estimation at the University Center of Legal Medicine Lausanne-Geneva: a retrospective study over 12 years.
Details
Serval ID
serval:BIB_4B7517331D8C
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
Forensic age estimation at the University Center of Legal Medicine Lausanne-Geneva: a retrospective study over 12 years.
Journal
International journal of legal medicine
ISSN
1437-1596 (Electronic)
ISSN-L
0937-9827
Publication state
Published
Issued date
09/2024
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Volume
138
Number
5
Pages
1881-1889
Language
english
Notes
Publication types: Journal Article
Publication Status: ppublish
Publication Status: ppublish
Abstract
With the undeniable increase in asylum requests from unaccompanied alleged minors, age estimation of living individuals has become an essential part of the routine work in European forensic centers. This study aims to review the forensic age estimations performed in our center since 2010, to evaluate the state-of-the-art of this practice in Switzerland with the evolution of the methodology according to upcoming recommendations. Our institute's expert reports performed between 2010 and 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. We gathered the following parameters: demographic data, morphological characteristics, alleged age compared with the assessed minimum age, sexual maturation, dental and bone age. When available, we collected personal and family history, medical history, records of torture-related/self-inflicted injuries, and information about eating habits that might affect skeletal development. Data collection amounted to 656 cases. Forensic age estimations ordered by the Swiss Secretariat for Migration (SEM) represented 76.4% of cases, with 23.6% of them ordered by the Court/Public Prosecutor. Most alleged minors were male (94.5%) and came from Afghanistan (53.4%). Adjunction of CT scans of the sternoclavicular joints was necessary in 86.4% of cases. Only 25.2% of our reports concluded on most probable minority, with 55.6% of definite majors; in 19.2% of our cases, minority could not be excluded. This study aspires to further broaden our expertise regarding forensic age estimations. Given the increasing migratory flows, we can expect a notable increase in the frequency of these requests. Consequently, this study aims to promote a multidisciplinary approach and the international standardization of the methodology of these estimations.
Keywords
Humans, Retrospective Studies, Switzerland, Age Determination by Skeleton/methods, Male, Female, Age Determination by Teeth/methods, Adolescent, Child, Adult, Young Adult, Child, Preschool, Middle Aged, Minors/legislation & jurisprudence, Refugees/legislation & jurisprudence, Tomography, X-Ray Computed, AGFAD, Bone age, Dental age, Forensic age estimation, Skeletal maturation, Unaccompanied minors
Pubmed
Web of science
Open Access
Yes
Create date
16/05/2024 14:31
Last modification date
10/08/2024 6:30