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Sexual Dimorphism of the Fetal Ilium: A 3D Geometric Morphometric Approach with Multislice Computed Tomography
Author(s) -
Mokrane FatimaZohra,
Dedouit Fabrice,
Gellée Stéphane,
Sans Nicolas,
Rousseau Hervé,
Rougé Daniel,
Telmon Norbert
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
journal of forensic sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.715
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1556-4029
pISSN - 0022-1198
DOI - 10.1111/1556-4029.12118
Subject(s) - sexual dimorphism , multislice computed tomography , multislice , multidetector computed tomography , forensic anthropology , computed tomography , anatomy , fetus , tomography , medicine , biology , radiology , zoology , pregnancy , geography , archaeology , genetics
Adult sexual dimorphism is well established. However, data regarding fetuses are sparse with contradictory results. Our study aimed to look for fetal sexual dimorphism. Multislice computed tomography ( MSCT ) examinations and three‐dimensional (3D) reconstructions were recorded on 93 fetal iliac bones aged between 21 and 40 weeks of amenorrhea ( WA ). The collection was divided into two age groups, with a cutoff at 30 WA . The 3D geometric morphometric analysis was based on outline analysis. We used elliptic Fourier analysis ( EFA ) because of the difficulty of landmark positioning. Step‐by‐step reconstructions allowed a better comprehension of the fine shape details. Principal component analysis ( PCA ) and linear discriminant analysis ( LDA ) were performed on the two age groups. Results did not show any difference between male and female shapes, in both age groups. We demonstrate the feasibility of outline analysis for immature shapes, but sexual dimorphism has not been established in our collection.