Journal of Forensic Medicine

Objectives: This article documents comparison of age of fusion of body of sternum with manubrium sterni in both the genders. Determination of age from human skeletal remains an integral part of forensic and medico-legal investigation. The study of changes in skeleton with respect to age, serves as a reliable and time-honored method in medico-legal work.

Methods: Sterna will be removed from the cadavers by sectioning the costal cartilages just besides the costo-chondral junction. The sterna thus collected will be marked, numbered, and then put in a water bath containing solution of sodium hypo-chloride for a week for maceration. The elements of each sternum-manubrium, body and xiphoid process will be examined for their fusion. The manubrio-sternal and the xiphisternal articulations will be carefully examined for degree of fusion: complete, partial, non-fusion.

Results: Out of total hundred sternum studied, seventy were males and thirty were females. Mean age of fusion of manubrium sterni with mesosternum in males is 61.20 years and in female is 61.47 years.

Conclusion: Majority of sternum samples retrieved from dead bodies of individuals brought for postmortem belonged to 51-60 years’ age group in males and 30-40 years’ age group in females. Males (70%) outnumbered the females (30%) in this study. Fusion of xiphisternum starts earlier as compared to fusion of manubrium sterni with mesosternum. Fusion of manubrium sterni with mesosternum starts at 51 years and completely fuses at >60 years.