Virginia Via Research Day Book 2026

Medical Student Research Biomedical

11 UTILITY OF THYROID CARTILAGE MINERALIZATION AS AN ESTIMATE FOR AGE AND SEX

Ethan Varney, Hailey Harbert, Rebecca Cistulli, Alexandra Reagan, Ashley Borseth, Sohailla Noor, Aaron Beger Corresponding author: evarney@vt.vcom.edu

VCOM-Virginia, Blacksburg, Virginia

the head and neck region and were aged between 0-100. Exclusion criteria included trauma of the head and neck region, or inability to identify and segment the thyroid cartilage (e.g., altered tissue density due to decomposition or density of metal implants obscuring the thyroid cartilage). Scans were uploaded to 3D Slicer (version 4.11.2021). Voxels were considered to represent mineralized tissue if they had a density of 400 Hounsfield units or greater, and volume of mineralized thyroid cartilage was subsequently quantified in 3D slicer. The relationship of mineralized volume with age was determined using Pearson's correlation, differences between males and females was determined using independent samples t-test, with significance set at the .05 alpha level. Results: The thyroid cartilage was successfully segmented in 283 subjects (144 males, 139 females; ages 0.83-99.41 years [mean=49.74 years)]. Pearson's correlation revealed a moderate positive correlation between volume of mineralized thyroid cartilage and age (R=0.45, p<0.001), though this correlation was even stronger if only analyzed in individuals younger

Context: The glottis is the organ of phonation and is supported and protected by a cartilaginous skeleton. The largest, most anterior component is the thyroid cartilage, which is comprised of hyaline cartilage that typically undergoes some degree of mineralization across the lifespan. Prior studies have aimed to quantify the degree of mineralization to establish it as a biomarker for estimating age and sex in forensic or anthropological contexts. However, such studies often only focus on adults and are limited by a lack of standardized, repeatable methodology and small sample sizes, yielding disparate and unreliable results. Objective: We aimed to quantify the mineralization of thyroid cartilages in subjects aged 0-100 years old to determine its utility as a biomarker for age and sex estimation. Methods: De-identified computed tomography scans of 300 subjects were accessed via the New Mexico Decedent Imaging Database (https://nmdid. unm.edu). Inclusion criteria included individuals who had a high resolution, bone window scan of

than 60 years of age (R=0.62, p<0.001). When parsed by sex, the correlation between volume and age was stronger in males (R=0.76,p>0.001) versus females (R=0.61, p>0.001). Overall, the volume of mineralized thyroid cartilage in males (=1,368.823) was found to be significantly greater than females (=584.793) (p<0.001). Conclusions: These results suggest that the mineralized content of the thyroid cartilage may be most useful as an estimator for age up until the 60th year of life, and, assuming the sex of the individual is known, may be more of a reliable biomarker in males versus females. Future studies would be strengthened by employing a larger sample size and investigation of individuals from regions beyond the Southwest United States. IRB statement: This study was reviewed and approved by VCOM IRB (record #2024-215).

Table of Contents

100 Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM)