Gender Estimation From Dimensions and Morphologic Types of the Crista Galli in the Pediatric Population Using...

Area of Science:

• Forensic anthropology
• Pediatric radiology
• Anatomy

Background:

• The crista galli (CG) is a bony structure within the skull.
• Assessing skeletal features for sex estimation is crucial in forensic and anthropological studies.
• Limited research exists on CG morphometrics and its utility in pediatric gender estimation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the morphometric and morphologic characteristics of the crista galli (CG) in a pediatric population using computed tomography (CT) images.
• To determine if CG dimensions and morphologic types can predict gender in individuals under 18 years old.

Main Methods:

• Computed tomography (CT) scans of 523 pediatric individuals (270 males, 253 females) were retrospectively analyzed.
• Measurements of CG dimensions (length, height, width) were taken.
• Morphologic types were classified based on CG dimensions.
• Statistical analyses, including multivariate binary logistic regression and regression decision tree modeling, were employed to evaluate gender prediction accuracy.

Main Results:

• Males exhibited significantly higher, wider, and longer crista galli compared to females (p<0.001 for length).
• CG length alone predicted sex with 60.8% accuracy, being more accurate for females (62.8%) than males (54.1%).
• A regression tree model utilizing CG dimensions achieved an overall gender estimation accuracy of 69.6%.

Conclusions:

• The crista galli displays sexual dimorphism in length during childhood.
• CG dimensions, particularly length, height, and width, can be utilized for gender determination in pediatric populations from CT images.
• The regression tree model offers a relatively sufficient accuracy rate for estimating gender in children based on CG morphometrics.