Determination of sex from clavicular and scapular parameters from normal posteroanterior chest radiographs of adults in Bayelsa State, Nigeria

Abstract

Background and aim: Identification of sex from human remains has been an imperative aspect in forensic anthropology. This can be achieved from bony structures such as the scapular and clavicle which has shown to be sexually dimorphic. This study evaluated the anatomy of the scapular and clavicular parameters of adults in Bayelsa State using normal anterioposterior chest radiographs.

Methods: A total of 500normal chest radiographs of Males (n=250, mean age 40.5±0.9) and females (n=250, mean age 40.7±0.9) were used for this study.  The parameters studied were length of right and left clavicle, thickness of right and left clavicle; height of right and left scapular; and width of right and left scapular.

Results: The results showed that males had longer and thicker clavicles than females. Similarly, scapula measurements (Height and Width) were larger in males than females.  P-value for TRC and HRS were p<0.05 indicating statistical significance. There were also differences within genders, with left clavicles and scapulas being slightly larger than their right counterparts.

Conclusion: The present study confirmed sex dimorphic characteristics of the measured parameters of the clavicle and scapula in normal chest radiographs of adult population in Bayelsa state in different age levels.