Sex estimation using proximal femoral parameters of adult population in the Volta region of Ghana

Background

The estimation of sex is a fundamental component in the establishment of a biological profile and a critical step for the identification of skeletal remains in forensic contexts. The proximal femoral geometry is frequently evaluated at crime scene for the estimation of sex, but the use of radiograph anthropometry for the estimation of sex is rare, even though radiographs would be easier to handle than bone specimen.

Aim

The aim of this study was to estimate sex using proximal femoral parameters of adult population in the Volta region of Ghana.

Method

This study made use of 214 normal anteroposterior (AP) radiographs of the pelvis that showed the hip joints and the proximal femora. The age and sex were recorded. Four proximal femoral parameters were measured on the radiographs using the ‘DICOM radiology reader software. The hip axis length was measured and mean difference of the parameters between the genders and the laterality categories were assessed.

Results

Three out of the four parameters measured; femoral head diameter, neck diameter and hip axis length demonstrated statistically significantly difference (p = 0.0001) between the males and females in both right and left side measurement. The right hip axis length (RHAL) and left head diameter (LHD) contributed significantly to sex estimation.

Conclusion

The right hip axis length demonstrates a high accuracy of 81.3% in sex determination among the population. This is the first study to present this finding in this population and might provide another way (if not easier way) to estimate the sex of a given skeletal specimen may give valuable insight into a better-customised implant and prosthesis design.