Collo-Diaphyseal Angle as an Optimal Anthropometric Criterion of Femur in Gender Determination

Gender determination is an important challenge in the identification of skeletal remnants and dismembered bodies. The femur bone is more likely to be preserved during accidents and over time; thus, it is one of the most useful bones in gender determination. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 54 fresh femur pairs of ˃19-year-old Iranians without anomalies or trauma. We studied the length of the femur, vertical head diameter, bicondylar width, shaft angle with the horizon, and collo-diaphyseal angle in male and female samples. Data were analyzed in SPSS using t-test and Receiver Operating Characteristic curves. P<0.05 was considered as statistically significant. The samples’ mean age was 37 years in males and 41 years in females. The mean values of measurements were not significantly different between the left and right femurs (P>0.05). The vertical head diameter, maximum length, bicondylar width, and the shaft angle were significantly larger in the males, compared to females. The mean degree of collo-diaphyseal angle was significantly wider in females, compared to males (P<0.05). The highest precision of gender differentiation belonged to the collo-diaphyseal angle (96.3%) and the lowest one belonged to the vertical head diameter (77.8%). Based on our findings, even with the existence of only one femur bone, gender determination can be achieved with high precision. Collo-diaphyseal angle would be helpful in gender determination, even with the sole availability of the proximal part of the femur.