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Technical note: Shape variability induced by reassembly of human pelvic bones.
Noémie Bonneau1, July Bouhallier, Caroline Simonis
1UMR CNRS-Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France. nbonneau@mnhn.fr
American Journal of Physical Anthropology
|March 14, 2012
Summary
Reassembling dry pelvic bones for shape analysis can introduce errors due to missing cartilage and joint mobility. However, this artificial variation is minor compared to natural differences between individuals.
Area of Science:
- Anthropology
- Anatomy
- Biomechanical Engineering
Background:
- Pelvic shape quantification in geometric morphometrics typically involves reassembling dry hip bones and sacrum.
- The morphology of cartilaginous tissues (sacroiliac joints, pubic symphysis) in fresh pelves is lost in dry bones, potentially causing reassembly inaccuracies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of reassembly methods on pelvic shape quantification.
- To compare the shape of fresh, intact pelves with reassembled dry pelves from the same individuals.
Main Methods:
- A protocol was developed to assess reassembly effects on pelvic shape.
- Shape analysis compared fresh pelves (anatomically positioned bones with cartilage) to pelves reassembled from individual dry bones.
Main Results:
- Pelvic bone reassembly significantly affects shape quantification.
- Absence of cartilage and the inherent mobility of sacroiliac joints in dry bone reassembly contribute to variation.
- Reassembly-induced variation was found to be smaller than inter-individual biological variation.
Conclusions:
- Reassembly protocols for dry pelvic bones can introduce significant artificial shape variation.
- Understanding joint morphology and cartilage presence is crucial for accurate pelvic shape analysis.
- Despite reassembly effects, biological variation between individuals remains the dominant factor in pelvic shape.
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