Comparison of Parameters of Hand and Foot Growth with Gestational Age among Human Male and Female Foetuses - A Morph Metric Analysis

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Determination of gestational age is important in civil and criminal cases. Though a reasonable assessment of gestational age can be made by measuring physical parameters such as crown-heel length, weight of foetus and by noting morphological features, organ development and appearance of ossification centres, an alternative parameter is desirable in some instances. In this study we directly Comparison of Hand and Foot Growth with Gestational Age in Human male and female Foetuses. Material and Methods: 60 formalin fixed human foetuses (25 male 35 female) were obtained from Museum of Department of Anatomy, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, and Aligarh. Foetuses were divided into five groups. (Group I< 17wks), (Group II 17-20wks), (Group III 21-25wks), (Group IV 26- 30wks), (Group V >30wks). We taking fourteen parameters in hand and foot i.e. length and breadth of the hand and lengths of all five fingers, Length and breadth of foot, length of all five toes, were measured using Vernier callipers. Result: It was found during comparison of male and female hand and foot parameters that Breadth of hand in less than 17 weeks (p-0.047), Hand length during 17-20 weeks (p-0.029), Middle finger and ring finger during 17-20 weeks (p-0.006) and (p-0.014), Great toe during 17-20 weeks (p-0.011) was found to be statically significant. Conclusion: It was concluded that breadth of hand, foetal hand length, middle finger and ring finger, great toe are significantly correlated with gestational age significantly (p<0.05) correlated with gestational age during comparison of male and female hand and foot parameters therefore these parameters could be utilized to estimate gestational age. It could be used in medico legal cases in where hand and foot parts are available or part of it is available for estimation of gestational age.