The Use of Femoral Neck Axis Length to Estimate Sex and Ancestry

• Rebecca A. Meeusen ^[1] ; Angi M. Christensen ^[1] ; Joseph T. Hefner ^[2]
  1. [1] George Mason University

     George Mason University

     Estados Unidos

     
  2. [2] Michigan State University

     Michigan State University

     City of East Lansing, Estados Unidos

     
• Localización: Journal of forensic sciences, ISSN-e 1556-4029, ISSN 0022-1198, Vol. 60, Nº. 5, 2015, págs. 1300-1304
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Having multiple reliable methods of estimating sex and ancestry from various skeletal features increases the likelihood of identifying skeletal remains. Femoral neck axis length (FNAL), as measured in living individuals, has been shown to vary by sex and ancestry.

    FNAL has not, however, been previously measured directly from skeletonized remains and investigated for its potential use in forensic anthropological applications. This research proposes a method for measuring FNAL from skeletal remains, determines the reliability and repeatability of the measurement, and assesses the validity of FNAL in sex and ancestry estimation. Results showed low interobserver error in the measurement of FNAL (TEM = 0.33 mm, R = 0.99). Significant differences in FNAL were found between sexes as well as between American Black, American White, and Native American groups. FNAL can correctly classify sex in ~86% of all cases and is considered valuable to sex estimation. The value of FNAL to ancestry estimation, however, is considered limited.