Khaleel N. et al
MORPHOMETRIC STUDY OF HUMAN FEMUR
MORPHOMETRIC STUDY OF HUMAN FEMUR
Khaleel N.1, Hussain Saheb Shaik2
IJCRR
Vol 05 issue 06
Section: Healthcare
Category: Research
Received on: 30/12/12
Revised on: 27/01/13
Accepted on: 22/02/13
1
Dept of Anatomy, St John’s Medical College, Bangalore., KA, India
Dept of Anatomy, JJMMC, Davngere, KA, India
2
E-mail of Corresponding Author: [email protected]
ABSTRACT
The femur or thigh bone is the longest and strongest bone in human body. It length is associated with
striding gait and strength is associated with weight and muscular forces. The study was undertaken in
50 femurs for measuring length, anterioposterior diameter of shaft at upper, middle and lower
segments. The results were the mean length of femur was 437.44+31.44mm and mean anteroposterior
diameter of shaft at upper segment was 26.56+2.14mm middle segment was 28.50+2.45mm lower
segment was 28.50+2.45mm. The knowledge of morphometric values is helpful to anthropological and
forensic practice.
Keywords: Femur, Anterioposterior diameter, Anthropological practice.
INTRODUCTION
Skeleton it plays role in various sciences like
medicine, forensic sciences, anthropology.
Estimation of sex, age race, stature by skeleton
and the presence of disease is discovered by
Krogman and Iscan1. They stated that record of
organic evolution is largely written by the hard
parts of the body recognizable even after many
years after death. Sex is determined after death by
skeletal remains of that individual by some
forensic anthropologists with the help of pelvis
and skull. It is somewhat easier to identify the sex
of individual. Here in the present study we are
taking the femur either individually or in
combination has been subjected to statistical and
morphological analysis for the purpose of
determination of sex. It is commonly accepted
that the examination and statistical analysis of
femoral
anthropometry
among
different
populations reveals a great amount of variation
due to the fact that the femoral anthropometry
measurements from different countries are like to
be affected by racial variations in diet, heredity,
climate and other geographical factors related to
life style.
Anatomists all over the world were contributing
their best and helping to widen the scope for
better understanding of the intricate structure of
the human body. Strecker et al2 stated that mean
values of lengths of right and left femora were
found to be similar, although the left femora was
generally showed larger values than right, they
were not significantly greater, these results are in
accordance with those but vertical diameter of
right femoral head, which was greater than
corresponding left femur.
Parsons3 proposed that there was no significant
bilateral difference found in bones, he reported
that males has bigger neck shaft angles than
females through his study and statement in
population, in another study of same author
studied on sex determination of human femur by
using univariate or multivariate discriminate
analysis. Parsons and bell4 stated that there was
no significant statistical bilateral difference found
in bones. Stewart5 studied on maximum femoral
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MORPHOMETRIC STUDY OF HUMAN FEMUR
length and stated that female was <445mm and
male was > 446mm.
Sex determination with maximum anteroposterior
diameter of shaft is discussed by Mac Laughlin
and Bruce6. Dittrick and Suchey7 have used either
univariate or multivariate discriminate analysis
for sex determination and concluded that end of
femur bone produced 10% greater accuracy than
maximum length or midshaft circumference.
William et al8 stated that the axial skeleton
weight of male is relatively and absolutely
heavier than that of female. Discriminate analysis
confirmed that the male femur is usually larger
than the female femur9. Distal epiphyseal
breadth, maximum length and anteroposterior
diameter of midshaft gives 92.3% classification
accuracy, distal epiphyseal breadth alone proved
94.9% of accuracy10. Lealavathy et al11 stated that
maximum length of femur was found to be the
nest parameter in sex determination of the
femora. The knowledge of morphometric values
is helpful to anthropological and forensic
practice.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The material used for the study contained 50
human femora of unknown sex obtained from
different SV medical college, Tirupathi, Andhra
Pradesh. The instruments used are metal sliding
caliper and osteometric board. The maximum
length of femur and anterioposterior diameter of
upper, middle and lower shaft of femur was
measured.
Maximum Length
It measures the straight distance between the
highest point of the head and deepest point on the
medical condyle. Femur should be placed with its
dorsal side upwards on the osteometric board in
such a manner that the epicondyle touches the
short vertical wall. The movable cross piece
should touch the highest point of head.
Osteometric board was used for this purpose.
Anteroposterior diameter of shaft
Upper segment – It measures the anteroposterio
diameter of the upper shaft taken at right angle to
the transverse diameter of shaft.
Middle segment – It measures the distance
between the anterior and posterior surfaces of the
bone approximately at the middle of the shaft that
is the highest elevation of the linea aspera.
Lower segment – it measures the distance
between the anterior posterior margins of the
lower part of the shaft, approximately 4cm above
the cartilaginous margin of the condyles taken in
the mid sagittal plane. Sliding caliper was used
for this purpose.
RESULTS
The results were the mean length of femur was
437.44+31.44mm, right it was 435.11+29.68mm
and left was 440.17+33.84mm, maximum length
was 514mm and minimum length was 373mm.
Mean anteroposterior diameter of shaft at upper
segment was 26.56+2.14mm on right it was
26.41+1.92mm and left was 26.74+2.39, the
middle segment was 28.50+2.45mm on right it
was 26.19+2.02mm and left was 26.60+2.38mm,
lower segment was 28.50+2.45mm on right it was
28.15+2.39mm and left was 28.91+2.50mm. No
significant difference found between right and
left.
DISCUSSION
The femur bone is the longest and strongest bone
in human body. Its length is associated with
striding gait and strength is associated with
weight and muscular forces. Its shaft is almost
cylindrical in most of its length and bowed
forwards. Proximally the rounded head projects
medially on its short neck. Distally it is strong,
having two condyles which articulate with tibia.
On standing, femora are oblique, shaft converge
downwards and medially. Femoral obliquity
approximates the feet, bringing them under the
line of body weight in standing or walking. It
gives the forward movement by increasing speed
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MORPHOMETRIC STUDY OF HUMAN FEMUR
and smoothness. The femoral obliquity is greater
in women due to greater in women due to greater
pelvic breadth and shorter femora. The maximum
length of the femur varies from a minimum of
373mm to maximum of 514mm with a mean
value of 437.44mm. When this is compared to the
range of unknown sex, 42 femora out of 50 could
be identified as belonging to male and 8 to
female. Comparisons were drawn separately for
male left and right femora, because individual
tend to favor one limb over other. It also has been
observed that the female femur is shorter than
male and in male the left longer than right and
vice versa in female12.
Maximum length of femur was the best parameter
for sexing the unknown femora11. Maximum
length was measured following the standard
techniques recommended by Martin and Seller13.
Discriminate analysis confirmed that the male
femur is usually larger than the female femur9 sex
differences in long bones is that typically male
bones are longer and more massive than typically
female bones1.
Anteroposterior diameter of femoral shaft in the
present study we had taken measurements of
femoral shaft at three different site, Upper – just
below the lesser trochanter, Middle –
approximately at the middle of shaft that is
highest elevation of linea aspera. It measures the
distance between anterior and posterior surfaces
of the bone. Lower – approximately 4 cm above
the cartilaginous margin of condyles taken in mid
sagittal plane. Upper anteroposterior diameter of
femur ranges from minimum of 22mm to
maximum of 32mm with a mean value of
26.56mm. Middle anteropostero diameter of
femur varies from minimum of 22mm to
maximum of 30mm with a mean value of
26.38mm. Lower anteropostero diameter of
femur ranges from minimum of 24mm to
maximum of 35mm with a mean value of
28.50mm, when this is compared to the range of
known sex 47 out of 50 femora identified as
belonging to male and 3 to female by using upper
anteroposterior diameter, 45 out of 50 femora
could be identified as belonging to male and 5 to
female by using middle anteroposterior diameter,
50 out 50 could be identified as belonging to
male only by using lower anteroposterior
diameter. Anteroposterior diameter of femoral
shaft has been reported earlier by Purkait R14, the
results of our study are not correlating with this
study. Maximum anteroposterior diameter of
shaft was measured following the technique
given by Mac Laughlin and Bruce6. Studies by
Steyn and Iscan reval that all dimensions of
femur were larger in males than in females but
determination of sex of an individual from a
single femur were a more difficult task15. The
shaft of femur is so shaped that it varies at
midlevel and at subtrochantric level. Hence
several transverse and sagittal diameters are
useful1. According to Martin and Saller13 study
femora are categorized in to Hyperplatymeric,
Platymeric, Eurymeric and Stenomeric. In the
present study 50 femora are categorized into 6
femora belongs Platymeric, 30 are Eurymeric, 14
are Stenomeric and non of femora belongs to
Hyperplatymeric. Every parameter independent
of others contributes certain percentage of
certainty to decide the sex of unknown femur,
therefore it is clear that based on no single
parameter, sex of femur can be decided. All the
parameters have to be considered together for this
purpose.
CONCLUSION
The knowledge of morphometric values is helpful
to anthropological and forensic practice.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Authors acknowledge the great help received
from the scholars whose articles cited and
included in references of this manuscript. The
authors are also grateful to authors / editors /
publishers of all those articles, journals and books
from where the literature for this article has been
reviewed and discussed. Authors are grateful to
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MORPHOMETRIC STUDY OF HUMAN FEMUR
IJCRR editorial board members and IJCRR team
of reviewers who have helped to bring quality to
this manuscript.
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