title: Sexual determination based on multidetector computed tomographic measurements of the second cervical vertebra in a contemporary Japanese population.
abstract: Accurate sex estimation is important in forensic investigation to determine the identity of unknown individuals. The aim of this study was to investigate the accuracy of sex assessment based on measurements of the second cervical vertebra (C2) using computed tomographic (CT) images in a Japanese population and to develop discriminant function formulae. The data were collected from 224 Japanese cadavers (112 male subjects, 112 female subjects) on which postmortem CT scanning and subsequent forensic autopsy were performed. Nine CT measurements of the C2 were performed for CT images of each subject. The measurements were assessed using descriptive statistics and discriminant function analyses (DFA). All of the measurements demonstrated significant sexual dimorphism. Multiple DFA with stepwise variable selection resulted in multivariable models; a five-variable model reached an accuracy rate of 92.9%. Our results suggest that metric analysis based on CT images of the C2 can accurately determine the sex from the human skeletal remains in a contemporary Japanese population and may be useful for sex estimation in forensic anthropology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan; Department of Legal Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-8670, Japan. Electronic address: torimitsu-tky@umin.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Suguru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Torimitsu
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan; Department of Legal Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-8670, Japan. Electronic address: ymakino-tky@umin.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Yohsuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Makino
authors.affiliation: Department of Legal Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-8670, Japan. Electronic address: hms1466@faculty.chiba-u.jp.
authors.forename: Hisako
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Saitoh
authors.affiliation: Department of Legal Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-8670, Japan. Electronic address: a.sakuma@chiba-u.jp.
authors.forename: Ayaka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sakuma
authors.affiliation: Department of Legal Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-8670, Japan. Electronic address: acua2807@chiba-u.jp.
authors.forename: Namiko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ishii
authors.affiliation: Department of Legal Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-8670, Japan. Electronic address: yajima.d@faculty.chiba-u.jp.
authors.forename: Daisuke
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Yajima
authors.affiliation: Department of Legal Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-8670, Japan. Electronic address: goinokuchi@chiba-u.jp.
authors.forename: Go
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Inokuchi
authors.affiliation: Department of Legal Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-8670, Japan. Electronic address: aama0171@chiba-u.jp.
authors.forename: Ayumi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Motomura
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan; Department of Legal Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-8670, Japan. Electronic address: chibafumico@chiba-u.jp.
authors.forename: Fumiko
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chiba
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan. Electronic address: rymgch@yahoo.co.jp.
authors.forename: Rutsuko
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yamaguchi
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan. Electronic address: kane.a.nite.01@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Mari
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hashimoto
authors.affiliation: Department of Legal Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-8670, Japan. Electronic address: yhoshioka@chiba-u.jp.
authors.forename: Yumi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hoshioka
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan; Department of Legal Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-8670, Japan. Electronic address: iwase@faculty.chiba-u.jp.
authors.forename: Hirotaro
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Iwase
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D044466:Asian People; D002102:Cadaver; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D016002:Discriminant Analysis; D005260:Female; D049429:Forensic Pathology; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D061330:Multidetector Computed Tomography; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D054881:Sex Determination by Skeleton; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Axis; Discriminant analysis; Forensic anthropology population data; Japanese; Multidetector computed tomography; Sexual dimorphism