title: Estimation of gestational age from gall-bladder length.
abstract: Establishing a precise duration of gestation is vital in situations such as infanticide and criminal abortions. The present study attempted to estimate the gestational age of the foetus from gall-bladder length. Foetuses of various gestational age groups were dissected, and the length of the gall bladder was measured. The results were analysed, and a substantial degree of correlation was statistically confirmed. This novel method is helpful when the foetus is fragmented, putrefied or eviscerated, where this method can be used as an additional parameter to improve the accuracy of foetal age estimation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine, Father Muller Medical College, India raaguday@gmail.com.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Udaykumar
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Father Muller Medical College, India.
authors.forename: Padmaja
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Udaykumar
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine, Father Muller Medical College, India.
authors.forename: K R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Nagesh
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus; D049429:Forensic Pathology; D005704:Gallbladder / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy
keywords: Criminalistics; foetal age; forensic anthropology; gall-bladder length; human identification