Multiple 2D approaches to human sexual dimorphism of the distal end of femur

  • Sitha Piyaselakul ,
  • Bumpenporn Sanannam ,
  • Jean-Pierre Dujardin
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  • 1Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkoknoi, Bangkok 10700, Thailand 2IRD, UMR IRD–CIRAD INTERTRYP, Campus international de Baillarguet, Montpellier, France

Online published: 2017-01-24

Supported by

This work was supported by “Siriraj Visiting Scholar Grant”.

Abstract

Various studies on the difference of distal femoral condyles between genders have been reported recently in order to provide anatomic information for knee prosthesis design and surgical planning in total knee arthroplasty. They also had the objective to be used as a sex recognition character, as may be needed in forensic medicine. Except for a recent 3D approach on the distal femur, most of the studies used dimensional information or aspect ratio but not shape. Our 2D study aimed to determine the size and shape variation of femoral condyles in Thais, considering age, sex and sides. One hundred and twenty-four cadaveric femurs (male 84 legs and female 40 legs) were dissected. The specimens were photographed by digital camera and images were analyzed using three geometric techniques: (i) the landmark-based method (5 landmarks), (ii) with or without addition of 23 sliding semilandmark and (iii) the outline-based methods. From the resulting geometric coordinates, size and shape were extracted for comparisons between genders and sides. Between sides, directional asymmetry could be detected only for shape variation, and only when introducing curves in the analyses (either through the semilandmarks technique or through the outline-based one). Non-directional asymmetry, probably fluctuating asymmetry, was detected for size, as well as for shape, in both genders. Sex discrimination was performed for each geometric technique using two classification methods: the Mahalanobis distance classification and the Maximum likelihood classification. The latter provided much more satisfactory gender validated reclassification (87%) than shape (72%).

Cite this article

Sitha Piyaselakul , Bumpenporn Sanannam , Jean-Pierre Dujardin . Multiple 2D approaches to human sexual dimorphism of the distal end of femur[J]. Zoological Systematics, 2017 , 42(1) : 108 -122 . DOI: 10.11865/zs.201710

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