Reliability of internal metacarpal measurements for sex determination using multi-detector computed tomographic imaging in a sample of Egyptian population

Abstract

ABSTRACT Accurate sex determination depends on the completeness of human remains but sometimes, they are damaged so we must analyse the more resistant bones as metacarpals. The purpose of this study is to investigate medullary and cortical parameters of first and second metacarpals using multi-detector computed tomography and determine their capability for sex determination in Egyptian population. Nine measurements were taken from right first and second metacarpals of 200 patients (100 males and 100 females) with age ranged from 25 to 65 years. Data were analysed by SPSS version 24. Measurements showed significant sexual differences (P < 0.05). By simple discriminant analysis, medullary length of first metacarpal and proximal medullary width of second metacarpal showed the highest percentage of accuracy (77%, 64%, respectively) in sex determination. The percentage of accuracy was 81% for first metacarpal and 65% for second metacarpal in multiple discriminant functional analysis for sex prediction. By using multiple stepwise discriminant functional analysis, the most predictable internal variables of first metacarpal showed accuracy of 79% while that of second metacarpal showed accuracy of 62%. This study supplies new forensic standards for determination of sex from the medullary and cortical measurements of the Egyptian metacarpals using various discriminant equations.