Factor structure of morphometric variables measured on six metacarpal bones

Area of Science:

• Anthropometry
• Human skeletal morphology
• Radiographic analysis

Background:

• Metacarpal bone morphometry provides insights into skeletal development and population characteristics.
• Understanding variations in bone dimensions is crucial for anthropological and clinical studies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To perform morphometric analysis of the second, third, and fourth metacarpal bones in adult males and females.
• To identify and interpret the underlying factors influencing metacarpal skeletal formation using principal factor analysis.

Main Methods:

• Hand-wrist radiograms from 434 males and 549 females were analyzed for bone length (L), total diaphysis width (T), and medullary canal width (M).
• Principal factor analysis with oblique rotation was applied separately to male and female data.
• Age was included as a variable in the factor analysis.

Main Results:

• Three principal factors were extracted, explaining 74.7% of the total variance in both sexes.
• The patterns of variation for these factors differed significantly between males and females.
• Identified factors include a 'cumulative environmental-genetic factor', a 'longitudinal factor', and a 'transversal factor'.

Conclusions:

• The study identified distinct patterns of metacarpal bone morphometry influenced by genetic, environmental, and dimensional factors.
• These factors contribute to the phenotypic formation of the metacarpal skeleton in a population-specific manner.
• The differing factor patterns between sexes highlight sex-specific influences on skeletal morphology.