Determination of gender from anthropological measurements of the skull in CT scans

Aim: Anthropometric techniques have been used for identification by forensic anthropologists for over a century. Unfortunately, the increase in mass disasters has also brought about challenges in the identification of some victims. The likelihood of finding various body parts for identification in incomplete corpses has increased, making the skull an alternative for gender prediction, especially when the pelvis is absent. The aim of this study is to demonstrate that anthropological measurements of anatomical structures of the skull in the Turkish population can be used for gender determination, to determine the accuracy of gender identification, and to develop formulas appropriate for our society. Additionally, it aims to investigate whether the effectiveness of the obtained formulas increases with the use of multiple parameters and to identify which ones are most successful in gender determination. Materials and Methods: Our study was conducted on CT images of 232 male and 269 female skulls, totaling 501 skulls, archived in the Radiology Department of İnönü University Faculty of Medicine over the past three years (2022-2024). Measurements were taken of various parameters including bi-malar width, bizygomatic width, orbital width, orbital height, biorbital width, zygoorbital width, interorbital width, sagittal diameter of the foramen magnum, transverse diameter of the foramen magnum, circumference of the foramen magnum, area of the foramen magnum, maximum cranial length, mandibular bregma distance, bizygomatic width, bregma-interzygomatic distance, interzygomatic distance, bicondylar width, bigonial width, maximum ramus height, mandibular length, mandibular angle, and ramus depth, using the SECTRA IDS7 program. The data were analyzed using SPSS 26.00. Results: In the analysis of sex determination, measurements of 23 parameters on CT images of the cranium were statistically significant. Gender determination was obtained from the bizigomaxillary width measurement (79.2% female, 78.9% male) with the highest accuracy using one parameter, and a total of 6 different steps were applied with the forward regression method, of which the highest gender determination was obtained with the highest accuracy of 90.3% female, 84.2% male using a total of 4 parameters (DKB, FMC, GNVL, BigB). Conclusion: With the formulas and models obtained from the measurements made on the CT images of the cranium; 90.3% female and 84.2% male gender was obtained with the highest accuracy using a total of 4 parameters (DKB, FMC, GNVL, BigB). Instead of always using a large number of points in sex determination, the use of statistically accurate formulas based on the anthropometric point or points with the highest accuracy rates will give more accurate results. Keywords: Skull bones, Radiology, Anthropometry, Gender