Identification of varied Sudanese infants ages (at birth, day 4, and 8 weeks) by determination of ossification pattern in the anterior skull base using computed tomography scan (A qualitative postmortem study)

Abstract

Medico legally this study identify certain Sudanese infants ages (at birth, day 4, and 8 weeks) through description of ossification pattern in the anterior skull base using computed tomography (CT) scan. Also, it is describing the normal anatomical pattern of ossification. So this study will explain and reveals the Sudanese own skull base bony print. Total number of selected cases for study are 12 died children admitted to Mortuary of Khartoum between July\2011 and November\2011, and all cases of known age, sex and nationality (Sudanese) according to police records, confirmed medico legally by evaluation of external signs of live. All cases were examined in Khartoum teaching hospital at January\2012 that explained the skull base development and ossification by direct coronal CT scans, 1 mm and wide window (bone) settings of Para Nasal Sinuses (PNS) protocol. The used CT scan machine is TOSHIBA-Asteion. The observations of day 1, 4 and 8 weeks explained that each determined age has its own skull base bony pattern. Also observations of those ages revealed that the development of the forming parts of skull base which include orbital plates and its extension over lateral ethmoidal air cells, roof of ethmoid complex, cribriform plate, perpendicular plate of ethmoid and ethmoidal air cells was progressively increasing with age except; the perpendicular plate of ethmoid bone which doesn't meet the vomer in the posterior septum at any of these certain ages although vomer was ossified at those varied ages. And the Crista galli neither ossified nor fused with ethmoidal labyrinths at all. Also, the Ethmoidal air cells have never been extended above the plane of the cribriform plate. Observed ages and patterns of ossification was different somewhat from that reported in prior radiologic and anatomic studies in the ethmoidal complex and its extension over the cribriform plate of ethmoid bone also in the crista, galli which was seen ossified as early as 2 months of age in previous study.