title: Body height estimation from post-mortem CT femoral F1 measurements in a contemporary Swiss population.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The present study aimed at the comparison of body height estimations from cadaver length with body height estimations according to Trotter and Gleser (1952) and Penning and Riepert (2003) on the basis of femoral F1 section measurements in post-mortem computed tomography (PMCT) images.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a post-mortem study in a contemporary Swiss population (226 corpses: 143 males (mean age: 53 ± 17 years) and 83 females (mean age: 61 ± 20 years)) femoral F1 measurements (403 femora: 199 right and 204 left; 177 pairs) were conducted in PMCT images and F1 was used for body height estimation using the equations after Trotter and Gleser (1952, "American Whites"), and Penning and Riepert (2003).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean observed cadaver length was 176.6 cm in males and 163.6 cm in females. Mean measured femoral length F1 was 47.5 cm (males) and 44.1cm (females) respectively. Comparison of body height estimated from PMCT F1 measurements with body height calculated from cadaver length showed a close congruence (mean difference less than 0.95 cm in males and less than 1.99 cm in females) for equations both applied after Penning and Riepert and Trotter and Gleser.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Femoral F1 measurements in PMCT images are very accurate, reproducible and feasible for body height estimation of a contemporary Swiss population when using the equations after Penning and Riepert (2003) or Trotter and Gleser (1952).
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine and Imaging, Institute of Forensic Medicine Bern, University of Bern, Switzerland. Electronic address: wolf-dieter.zech@irm.unibe.ch.
authors.forename: Wolf-Dieter
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Zech
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine and Imaging, Institute of Forensic Medicine Bern, University of Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Maya
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Näf
authors.affiliation: Institute of History, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany.
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Siegmund
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine and Imaging, Institute of Forensic Medicine Bern, University of Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jackowski
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Anthropology, Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lösch
mesh_terms: D000885:Anthropology, Physical; D001827:Body Height; D002102:Cadaver; D005260:Female; D005269:Femur / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013557:Switzerland; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
keywords: Body height estimation; Femur; Forensic anthropology; Post-mortem computed tomography (PMCT); Stature