Image analysis of pubic bone for sex determination in a computed tomography sample

Area of Science:

• Forensic Radiology
• Medical Imaging Analysis
• Skeletal Biology

Background:

• Radiology is crucial for sex determination, but current methods often rely on metrical and morphological analyses.
• A need exists for objective, quantitative methods to assess sex from skeletal remains.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate an image analysis method for sex determination based on bony tissue ultrastructure.
• To explore the relationship between grey level histogram variables from CT images and sex identification.

Main Methods:

• Utilized computed tomography (CT) sagittal sections of the pubic symphysis surface and body from 169 individuals.
• Applied grey level histogram variables and multivariate binary logistic regression for analysis.
• Assessed intra and inter-observer agreement for method reliability.

Main Results:

• Achieved high sex determination reliabilities ranging from 87.4% to 95.8%.
• Demonstrated a strong intra and inter-observer agreement, indicating method consistency.
• Established a quantitative correlation between bony tissue ultrastructure and sex.

Conclusions:

• The proposed image analysis method is effective for sex determination using CT data.
• This technique offers a valuable, non-invasive tool for forensic identification, particularly in Virtopsy.
• The method provides a quantitative approach to assess tissue ultrastructure without complex or costly procedures.