Distance Parameter Values of Calcaneus and their Performance for Gender Estimation

Authors : Faruk Gazi Ceranoğlu, Mehmet Tuğrul Yılmaz, Duygu Akın Saygın, Cengiz Kadıyoran

Pages : 239-248

Doi:10.37990/medr.1419133

View : 43 | Download : 63

Publication Date : 2024-05-16

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Aim: The calcaneus has a significant role in the foot due to its location. It is used together with the pelvis and skull bones in gender determination. In this study, it was aimed to determine the morphometric characteristics of the calcaneus and determine the suitability of these measurement locations for gender estimation. Material and Method: In the study, seven measurements were taken bilaterally from 1,080 lateral foot radiographs of 540 individuals aged 20-65 years. For foot bone height (FBL), the distance between the anterior end of the distal phalanx of the most distal toe and the most posterior end of the foot was taken, while for maximum calcaneal length (maxCaL), the distance between the anterior end of the calcaneus and the posterior end of the calcaneus was taken. SPSS 21 program was used for statistical analyses and the ratio of gender prediction performances was examined by Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Results: All length measurements were higher in males than females (p<0.05), and foot bone height (FBL) (p=0.035) and maximum calcaneus height (maxCaH) (p=0.007) were higher on the right side than on the left side. The study also found a weak negative correlation between age and the right-sided medial calcaneus length parameter (rmedCaL) and strong correlations between certain measurements. Foot bone length (FBL) was found to have the highest accuracy in predicting gender (AUC=0.913). Conclusion: The findings provide useful information for forensic cases, provide reference data for diagnosis and treatment processes in the clinic, and provide data for the development of machine learning software that can be used in medical and forensic cases.
Keywords : Calcaneus, forensic science, gender prediction, radiology, receiver operating characteristic analysis