Estimation of sex in Japanese cadavers based on sternal measurements using multidetector computed tomography

Abstract

This study assessed the sex-discrimination potential of the sternum in a Japanese population using three-dimensional (3D) computed tomographic (CT) images. A total of 200 cadavers (100 males, 100 females) who underwent postmortem CT and subsequent forensic autopsy between December 2011 and June 2014 were used. Five measurements of each sternum were performed on 3D CT reconstructed images that extracted only bone data, and two sternal dimensions and three indices were calculated. Univariate discriminant function analyses using these linear measurements and calculated sternal dimensions and indices yielded sex classification accuracy rates of 62.5-84.0%, and 63.0-90.5%, respectively. The results of this study indicate that sternal measurements may be useful for the forensic assessment of sex in Japanese individuals, particularly in cases where better predictors, such as the pelvis or skull, are unavailable.

Keywords: Forensic anthropology; Japanese; Multidetector computed tomography; Sex discrimination; Sternum.