Query: stature estimation from femur of skeletal remains

title: Estimation of stature in archaeological human skeletal remains from Britain.
abstract: For archaeological populations of northwest European origin, the Trotter and Gleser "White" equations are generally used to estimate stature from long bone length. The aim of this research is to investigate the reliability of these formulae for this purpose.  Stature estimated using the Trotter and Gleser formulae was evaluated by comparing estimates with anatomically reconstructed stature in adult skeletons (N 40) from Mediaeval England. Performance of the Trotter and Gleser equations based on femur length was compared (using standard error of the estimate (SEE) and mean percentage error %error) with others that have been derived from archaeological and recent European ancestry populations. Performance of ordinary least squares (OLS) and reduced major axis (RMA) versions of some of the equations was also evaluated.  14 male and 11 female femoral equations were investigated. For females, the original (OLS) Trotter and Gleser "White" equations produced the lowest SEE and %error. For the males, the most reliable was the RMA version of the Trotter and Gleser "White" WWII equation; the Trotter and Gleser equations based on the Korean War dead performed poorly.  In an archaeological target population, stature estimation equations devised using archaeological reference populations from a similar ecogeographic zone did not perform better than those based on recent populations. There was no indication that either the RMA or OLS approach produced consistently lower SEE and %error, but the former more faithfully represented the variation in anatomically reconstructed stature present in the study group.

title: Stature estimation in Iranian population from x ray measurements of femur and tibia bones
abstract: Stature estimation of human skeletal remains is important in medico legal and forensic anthropology to personal identification. Several investigations have been carried out to estimating the height using the long bones. This study aimed was prediction the height of Iranian people based on the maximum length of femur and tibia by application of X Ray method.  This cross sectional study was conducted in the radiology department of Baqiyatallah Hospital of Tehran, Iran between 2017 and 2018. The number of 166 adult women and men were investigated during the study period. Maximum lengths of the tibia and femur bones were measured on the X Ray images. In the following, the data were analyzed by SPSS (ver. 22)  The results showed that there was a correlation between the stature and both of the femur and tibia lengths in the men and women (P value  Data confirmed that lengths of the tibia and femur of the men yield the best results in terms of the accuracy of the stature estimation in Iranian population.

title: Estimating the stature of ancient high altitude Andean populations from skeletal remains of the Chachapoya of Peru.
abstract: Previous studies have demonstrated the need for regionally specific stature estimation formulae due to the geographical specificity of limb proportionality related to the effects of environmental pressures on growth and development. High altitude Andean populations have often been neglected in the creation of these formulae. This study uses a hybrid approach to create linear regression formulae for stature estimation and test their accuracy when compared previously published formulae traditionally used in Andean bioarchaeology.  We studied a sample from a high altitude Andean population to create linear regression formulae based on anatomical estimates of stature from the femur, tibia, and calcaneus and compare the newly created formulae with those traditionally employed in Andean bioarchaeology. We also examine the reliability of calcanei in stature estimation by creating and testing regression formulae based on metrics from that element.  We include specific formulae accurate to within 1 cm of anatomical stature estimates using femoral, tibial, and calcaneal metrics. These formulae provide estimates that are closer to anatomical stature than those traditionally used in the Andes. ANOVA results were statistically significant for differences between Andean derived and Mesoamerican derived formulae.  Although regionally proximate (mid altitude) formulae provide estimates approximating population specific formulae, those created from geographically distant populations from sites at or near sea level are inappropriate in high altitude studies. Like some previous studies on stature, we found that the most accurate estimates were based on the tibia rather than the femur and that the calcaneus can be used reliably in stature estimation when no other element is present or measurable.

title: IDENTIFICATION OF SKELETAL REMAINS FROM A MYCENAEAN BURIAL IN KASTROULI DESFINA GREECE
abstract: The present work details the findings of the anthropological study of the skeletal material unearthed from the Kastrouli archaeological site on July 2016. The skeletal material was significantly deteriorated with most of the bones fragmented beyond a level to yield any information. Despite almost no single bone was found intact, hence no metrics for stature estimation are provided herein, a number of sufficiently preserved femur bones along with numerous teeth were identified and allowed for MNI estimates for this commingled burial. We identified 15 adults along with 2 subadults, an infant and a fetus. Skeletal remains of domesticated animals were also recovered from the same undisturbed context, for which the recovered archaeological artifacts suggest that the tomb was Mycenaean/Late Helladic in date.

title: Body Height Estimation from Femur Measurements in Postmortem Computed Tomography
abstract: After attending this presentation, attendees will: (1) understand how body height from computed tomography data can be estimated; and, (2) gain knowledge about the accuracy of estimated body height and limitations. The presentation will impact the forensic science community by providing knowledge and competence which will enable attendees to develop formulas for single bones to reconstruct body height using postmortem Computer Tomography (p CT) data. The estimation of Body Height (BH) is an important component of the identification of corpses and skeletal remains. Stature can be estimated with relative accuracy via the measurement of long bones, such as the femora. Compared to time consuming maceration procedures, p CT allows fast and simple measurements of bones. This study undertook four objectives concerning the accuracy of BH estimation via p CT: (1) accuracy between measurements on native bone and p CT imaged bone (F1 according to Martin 1914) (2) intra observer p CT measurement precision; (3) accuracy between formula based estimation of the BH and conventional body length measurement during autopsy; and, (4) accuracy of different estimation formulas  In the first step, the accuracy of measurements in the CT compared to those obtained using an osteometric board was evaluated on the basis of eight defleshed femora. Then the femora of 83 female and 144 male corpses of a Swiss population for which p CTs had been performed, were measured at the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Bern. After two months, 20 individuals were measured again in order to assess the intraobserver error. The mean age of the men was 53+ 17 years and that of the women was 61+ 20 years. Additionally, the body length of the corpses was measured conventionally. The mean body length was 176.6+ 7.2cm for men and 163.6+ 7.8cm for women. The images that were obtained using a six slice CT were reconstructed with a slice thickness of 1.25mm. Analysis and measurements of CT images were performed on a multipurpose workstation. As a forensic standard procedure, stature was estimated by means of the regression equations by Penning Riepert developed on a Southern German population and for comparison, also those referenced by Trotter Gleser "American White."2,3 All statistical tests were performed with a statistical software. No significant differences were found between the CT and osteometric board measurements. The double p CT measurement of 20 individuals resulted in an absolute intra observer difference of 0.4+ 0.3mm. For both sexes, the correlation between the body length and the estimated BH using the F1 measurements was highly significant. The correlation coefficient was slightly higher for women. The differences in accuracy of the different formulas were small. While the errors of BH estimation were generally 4.5 5.0cm, the consideration of age led to an increase in accuracy of a few millimetres to about 1cm. BH estimations according to Penning Riepert and Trotter Gleser were slightly more accurate when age at death was taken into account.2,3 That way, stature estimations in the group of individuals older than 60 years were improved by about 2.4cm and 3.1cm.2,3 The error of estimation is therefore about a third of the common 4.7cm error range. Femur measurements in p CT allow very accurate BH estimations. Estimations according to Penning led to good results that (barely) come closer to the true value than the frequently used formulas by Trotter Gleser "American White."2,3 Therefore, the formulas by Penning Riepert are also validated for this substantial recent Swiss population.

title: Analysis of Secular Change and a Novel Method of Stature Estimation Utilizing Modern Skeletal Collections
abstract: Reconstructing stature is at the core of providing information on unidentified human remains. This research shows that there are significant differences between modern populations and those used to create the most common stature estimation formulae. New formulae for the femur and fibula in males and females were created to provide accurate estimates for modern forensic cases. Additionally, a novel measurement of the femur is shown to be moderately correlated with stature and stature estimation formulae for this measurement are included.  Forensic anthropology, Stature estimation, Femur, Fibula ANALYSIS OF SECULAR CHANGE AND A NOVEL METHOD OF STATURE ESTIMATION UTILIZING MODERN SKELETAL COLLECTIONS

title: A Test of Three Methods for Estimating Stature from Immature Skeletal Remains Using Long Bone Lengths
abstract: In this study, the accuracy of three methods for stature estimation of children from long bone lengths was investigated. The sample utilized consists of nine identified immature skeletons (seven males and two females) of known cadaver length, aged between 1 and 14 years old. Results show that stature (cadaver length) is consistently underestimated by all three methods (from a minimum of 2.9 cm to a maximum of 19.3 cm) The femur/stature ratio provided the least accurate estimates of stature, and predictions were not significantly improved by the other two methods. Differences between true and estimated stature were also greatest when using the length of lower limb bones. Given that the study sample children grew in less than optimal environmental conditions, compared with the children that contributed to the development of the methods, they are stunted and have proportionally shorter legs. This suggests that stature estimation methods are not universally applicable and that environmental differences within a population (e.g. socioeconomic status differences) or differing levels of modernization and social and economic development between nations are an important source of variation in stature and body proportions of children. The fallibility of stature estimation methods, when they do not consider such variation, can be somewhat minimized if stature is estimated from the length of upper limb bones.

title: Stature estimation from bones of South African whites
abstract: Stature reconstruction from skeletal remains forms part of the forensic anthropological analysis for the purpose of identification of the individual. The aim of this study was to derive regression formulae for the estimation of total skeletal height, and thereafter to predict stature in South African whites using long bone lengths. The sample comprised 98 white male and 71 white female skeletons from the Raymond A. Dart Collection of Human Skeletons and the Pretoria Bone Collection. For each individual, total skeletal heights and maximum long bone lengths were measured and used to produce univariate regression formulae, with resulting correlations (r) ranging between 0.56 and 0.96. The lowest standard error of estimate (1.75 for females, 1.92 for males) was obtained when the lumbar spine, femur and tibia were used in combination, while the highest SEE (5.21 for females, 5.54 for males) was found when the lumbar spine was used on its own. Recently published corrections for soft tissue additions to obtain living height from total skeletal height make these kinds of formulae more usable, and will reduce the problem of underestimation. The derived formulae are population specific and are designed for use in forensic skeletal analyses of South African whites, but are also generally relevant to theoretical and practical issues in forensic anthropology.

title: Stature estimation from radiographically determined long bone length in a Spanish population sample.
abstract: The estimation of stature from of a variety of bones is an important aspect of forensic work. In order to obtain reliable results, it is important to have comparative data obtained from the same population group as the skeletal remains. However, lack of up to date information on the population groups of Southern Europe makes the estimation of stature from bones in this area subject to possible error. In this study, the stature of 104 healthy adults from Spain was measured, and an anteroposterior teleradiograph of the right lower and the right upper limb of every subject in the study was made in order to measure the lengths of the femur, tibia, fibula, humerus, cubitus and ulna. Pearson's regression formulae were obtained for both limbs. In males, we found the femur to be the most accurate predictor of stature (R 0.851) whereas in females best results were obtained with the tibia (R 0.876)

title: Stature estimation from fragmentary femora: a revision of the Steele method.
abstract: The skeletal remains presented to forensic anthropologists are often fragmentary. Previously described methods of estimating stature from segments of long bones have not proved satisfactory because of the difficulty involved in identifying the precise anatomical landmarks by which they are defined. This study represents an assessment of the feasibility of stature estimation from fragmentary femora. A sample of 200 males and females, blacks and whites (total sample 800) was obtained from the Terry Collection. New regression equations for the estimation of maximum femur length and stature from three well defined and easy to measure segments of the femur are presented. This technique represents an improvement over methods currently in use for estimating stature from femur fragments; the location of the anatomical landmarks and the accuracy of the prediction are enhanced. The applicability of these formulae to a modern forensic sample is addressed with regard to secular trends in stature increase and changes in body segment proportions.