Patellar Anthropometry in Sex Differentiation - A Study in the Southern Part of Andhra Pradesh, India

Abstract

As in many cases, long bones get available in fragments, so gender determination from short as well asrobust bones like patella is paid importance nowadays. So far, the literature reviewed show such records arefound little in India, especially from the state of Andhra Pradesh. The present study is aimed to demonstratethe gender differentiability of different patellar anthropometric parameters viz, length, breadth, weight,thickness & patellar Index, etc., amongst the population of the southern part of Andhra Pradesh in India.A total of 50 intact patellae of which 25 belonging to males and 25 belonging to females, were takenout from human corpses of 20 to 50 years of age group, brought for postmortem to the Department ofForensic Medicine, Sri Venkateswara Medical College, Tirupati. Patellar vertical length, width, differentmeasurements of the individual articular facet, patellar index, and surface area of the articular part, etc.,were measured. In males, the mean of patellar length, Patellar index, Dry weight, Articular surface area werefound to be 3.892 cm, 115.36, 20.06 gm, and 14.164 cm2 respectively and in females, the mean of patellarlength, Patellar index, Dry weight, Articular surface area were found to be 3.608 cm, 103.12, 15.16 gm and9.664 cm2 respectively. The values are found to be less in females than those found in males. The results ofthis study revealed that we can determine the sex of the southern Andhra Pradesh population, just by usingthe patellar measurements when other long bones, skull, and pelvis are not available or fragmented. Butthere remains scope for multicenter study throughout India to validate the fact.