Estimation of stature and sex from calcaneal measurements in Chinese

Abstract

The calcaneus is a compact bone that is able to withstand high tensile forces and keep intact. Measurements of the calcaneus have been shown to be sexually dimorphic and used for stature estimation in different populations. In the present study, eight measurements for every calcaneal were taken from X-ray film of 293 Chinese, including five linear and three angular measurements. Discriminant function score equations were generated for use in sex determination, and five linear parameters were measured and matched against stature. The average accuracy of sex classification was 89.1% for the stepwise method, 78.2 to 82.3% for the direct method with linear measurements, and 52.6 to 58.7% for the direct method with angular measurements. However, the range of the standard errors of estimate is high in comparison with that obtained for stature estimation based on intact long bones and previous studies with the calcaneus in other populations. This paper provides indications that the calcaneus is an important bone for sex diagnosis and it could be effectively used as alternatives in forensic cases. However, the equations presented for stature estimation in this study should be used with caution in forensic cases when only the calcaneus is available for stature estimation.