Stature estimation from radiographic sternum length in a contemporary Spanish population

The ability to estimate stature from various parts of the body is essential in medicolegal investigations, particularly in cases in which human remains have been dismembered or mutilated. Therefore, the aim of this study was to generate linear regression models for predicting stature on the basis of sternum length in contemporary Spaniards. Sternal length, or the combined length of the manubrium and mesosternum, was recorded from digital radiographs of the chest plate for 65 males and 52 females. Correlation coefficients for the regression models were r=0.391 and r=0.461 for the male and female formulae, respectively. The standard errors of the estimate were 6.20 cm for the male equation and 5.56 cm for the female equation. Given these relatively large standard error rates, the derived stature estimation models should only be used when other more accurate skeletal elements, such as intact long bones, are unavailable for analysis.