Abstract: Objective To study the correlation between age and general morphology of transverse section of cartilago costalis and its forensic significance. Methods Eighty-six corpses’ cartilago costalis from the routine postmortem examination were collected and the morphological features of their transverse section were observed. Results With the increased age, there were regular changes in the color, structure, and material of the general morphology of transverse section of cartilago costalis. But the changes were not affected by gender. Conclusion The good correlation between general morphology of transverse section of cartilago costalis and age can be used to estimate age of the deceased rapidly.

Key words: forensic anthropology, age determination by skeleton, cartilago costalis