estimation of gender and age based on three-dimensional computed tomography scan indices of the twelfth thoracic vertebrae and the first and fifth lumbar vertebrae in iranian adults

Background: gender identification is a crucial starting point in creating a biological profile for human skeletal remains because it reduces the number of possible matches by 50%. the vertebrae (especially the chest and back) can also be some of the best-preserved skeletal elements in some areas of forensics and archeology. in the present study, gender and age were assessed based on the measurement of three-dimensional computed tomography (ct) scan indices of the twelfth thoracic (t12) vertebrae and the first and fifth lumbar (l1 and l5) vertebrae in iranian adults. methods: the present study was a descriptive study carried out on 200 participants over 18 years of age in 2020. individuals measuring thoracic and lumbar vertebrae diameters (t12 and first and fifth lumbar vertebrae) by three-dimensional computed tomography (ct) scan (toshiba, japan, 16-slice) with multiplanar reconstruction (mpr) and volume rendering were placed in two sagittal and horizontal sections.results: the mean age of male and female participants was 34.62±9.63 years and 34.10±9.70 years, respectively, which were not significantly different (p=0.789). the present study showed that the mean indices for t12, l1 and l5 vertebrae were significantly higher in males (p>0.05). the results also showed that t12, l1, and l5 indices of nuts are not good predictors for age estimation. conclusion: based on the results, the indices of the t12 vertebrae and the l1, and l5 vertebrae can be used to determine gender, but these indices are not a good criterion to estimate age and do not have the necessary accuracy to predict the age variable.