European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine

Abstract

Background: Determination of age of majority is essential at the time of employment, marriage, fixation of criminal responsibility, judicial punishment, exercise of adult franchise etc. Determination of age forms a major help in solving many medico legal issues. The study of epiphyseal union of bone is considered a reasonable scientific & accepted method of estimation of age by the court of law all over the world. Pisiform begins to ossify in the ninth or tenth year in females, and the twelfth in males. The lower end of radius ossifies by 20 years. So there is a gap in the age from 12 to 20 years for which another suitable site like the elbow region need to be studied and data combined for filling the lacunae when wrist joint alone is considered.
Methods: The study was conducted at the department of Anatomy with the help of department of Radiology, at Patna medical college and Hospital, Patna. Study duration of Two years. The material for study consisted of 100 subjects between the age of 11 and 18 years (52 males, 42 females) Source of subjects were from a nearby school. The age was verified by checking the date of birth from school admission records.
Conclusion: There was difference between the age of epiphyseal union of lower end humerus and upper end ulna and upper end radius among the males and females. In general the fusion of epiphyses occurs 3-4 years earlier in females as compared to the fusion in males.