Estimating biological sex and stature from the humerus: A pilot study using a contemporary Australian sub-population using computed tomography

Objectives: Forensic anthropologists assign biological profiles (ancestry, biological sex, age and stature) to skeletal remains to assist with the human identification process. The humerus can be used for the assessment of biological sex and subsequently for stature. Materials and methods: Post-mortem computed tomography (PMCT) post-cranial sample data were utilized to form three-dimensional (3D) models and allowed for subsequent “virtual” measurements as an alternative to dry bone osteometric measurements. Samples consisted of humeral PMCT Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) datasets from 51 individuals from a contemporary European-descent adult Queensland (Australia) Coronial population, aged between 17 and 83 years, obtained from Brisbane Mortuary from 2016 to 2018. Threshold based segmentation was conducted in Amira® (VSG, USA) to form 3D humeri models. Plane-to-plane and point-to-point anthropometric measurements were performed in reverse engineering program, Geomagic Design X® (3D Systems Inc., USA). Five standard measurements of the humerus (maximum humeral length, vertical diameter of the humeral head, epicondyle breadth, maximum and minimum mid-shaft diameter) were assessed. In both models, Bayesian model averaging was determined as the most appropriate analytical. Results: Estimation equations from the United States of America were assessed for their applicability to the Queensland population, and are not recommended for assessing biological sex or stature. The vertical diameter of the humeral head was determined to be the best indicator for biological sex, and the maximum length of the humerus is the best indicator for stature. Discussion: This paper proposes preliminary biological sex and stature estimation equations for their utility to contemporary Australian casework