The estimation of late fetal and perinatal age from limb bone length by linear and logarithmic regression

This paper describes an attempt that was made to confirm the suggestion that limb bone length may be a good indicator of perinatal age. Gestational (menstrual) age was regressed on: (i) the lengths of the ossified shafts of the femur, humerus and radius of 17 subjects of mixed sex aged between 27 and 46 weeks; and (ii) the femur, tibia, humerus, radius and ulna of a second, larger, sample of 65 subjects (29 male; 36 female) aged between 24 and 40 weeks. Age was regressed on single bones and combinations thereof, e.g. humerus, radius and ulna. The data were analyzed both in their raw form and as logarithms, the latter yielding very slightly, but not significantly, better results than the former in the case of sample (ii) but not in (i).