ABSTRACT

The aim of this study is to evaluate the sexual dimorphism of the scapula and to measure the accuracy of the results of the measurements performed by computed tomography imaging of the thorax for gender estimation in the modern Anatolian population.

Multidetector CT images of 302 cases (164 males, 138 females) with ages between 20 and 93 and taken between February 2019 and April 2019 in Radiology Department of Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University Training and Research Hospital were used. Longitudinal lengths (LU), transverse lengths (TU), and spina scapula lengths (SSU) of the right and left side scapulae were measured and evaluated. The effect of measurements on gender determination was determined by Logistic Regression analysis.

Scapula measurements were higher in males than in females (p <0.001). Statistically significant difference was found between transverse lengths of the right and left scapula in females and statistically significant differences in all 3 measurements in males. The longitudinal, transverse and spina scapula lengths of the scapula were found to be statistically significant when the measurements were used for gender determination. Accordingly, it was seen that the right scapula longitudinal length was the highest accuracy rate.

This study demonstrates that scapula bone is an important bone in sex prediction in Anatolian population. Therefore, if skull, long bones and pelvic bones cannot be found in forensic medicine and anthropological studies, scapula can be used alone or in combination with other skeletal elements for sex estimation methods.

Keywords: Forensic Anthropology; Sex Estimation; Scapula; Multidetector Computed Tomography; Sexual Dimorphism