title: Sex determination from carpal bone volumes: A Multi Detector Computed Tomography (MDCT) study in a Malaysian population.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The use of Multi Detector Computed Tomography (MDCT) volume measurements of bones for sex determination allows fragile, fragmented human remains to be assessed without compromising the specimen. We set out to assess the ability of MDCT carpal bone volume measurement in determining sex in a Malaysian population.
  
  
  METHODS
  52 healthy volunteers were scanned in a 16-slice MDCT, and the volume of 104 sets of carpal bones was measured using a Syngo workstation (Both CT and workstation-Siemens Healthcare, Erlangen, Germany).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Male carpal bones were of higher volume compared to the female carpal bones (p<0.001). Area under the curve (AUC) assessment of responder-operator characteristics curves showed that the trapezium bone was best able to predict sex with an AUC of 0.986. At a trapezium bone volume of ⩾1.94cm(3), there was a 93.5% probability that the subject was male. Binary logistic regression analysis found that the highest accuracy was derived using the pisiform, trapezium and capitate bones. There was a strong relationship between sex prediction and grouping of the carpal bone volumes (Nagelkerke R(2)=0.923) with an overall prediction accuracy of 97%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  All 8 carpal bones exhibit sexual dimorphism to varying degrees. A binary regression analysis combining the 5 carpal bones with the highest predictive values for sex produces an accurate predictive model.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bio-Medical Imaging, University Malaya Research Imaging Centre (UMRIC), Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Aishath Leela
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: M Didi
authors.affiliation: Department of Bio-Medical Imaging, University Malaya Research Imaging Centre (UMRIC), Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Electronic address: rizalazman@ummc.edu.my.
authors.forename: Raja Rizal
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Azman
authors.affiliation: Department of Bio-Medical Imaging, University Malaya Research Imaging Centre (UMRIC), Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nazri
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002348:Carpal Bones; D005260:Female; D018732:Forensic Anthropology; D006801:Humans; D008296:Malaysia; D008297:Male; D061330:Multidetector Computed Tomography; D054881:Sex Determination by Skeleton / Q000379:methods*; D012737:Sex Factors
keywords: Carpal bones; Computed Tomography; Forensic anthropology; Malaysian population; Sex assessment