Estimation of the femur length from the markers of its proximal end

ABSTRACT

Length of femur and stature are of forensic and anthropological significance. In major disasters when only a fragment of the proximal femur is available, some markers such as the head and neck of the femur can be of use in determining the femoral length. A radiographic study included a total of 130 unpaired Egyptian living femora devoid of gross pathology and grouped by side and sex into 66 males [30 right and 36 left] and 64 females [34 right and 30 left]. The femora of living persons were x-rayed keeping at a fixed distance and in a fixed position. These radiographs were used to measure the neck-shaft angle [NSA], neck length [NL], intertrochanteric apical axis length [ITAAL], maximum vertical diameter of the femur head [VDH] and maximum femur length [FL]. The data were statistically analysed for regression. Length of the femur significantly correlated with the NSA, NL, ITALL and VDH. Simple linear regression equations of the length of femur against the neck-shaft angle, neck length, intertrochanteric apical axis length and maximum vertical diameter of the head have been derived. The calculated length of the femur can be used to estimate the stature of the individual