An Autopsy-based Study to Find Correlation Between Supine Length and Percutaneous Measurements of Tibial Length
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.48165/jfmt.2026.43.03.08Keywords:
Stature, Tibial length, Supine length, Forensic anthropology, Autopsy studyAbstract
Stature estimation is an essential aspect for forensic identification, particularly in decomposed, mutilated or fragmented remains. The objective of this autopsy-based analytical observational study was to investigate the correlation between supine length and percutaneous tibial length and to derive regression equations for stature estimation for an Indian population. It was conducted on 100 cadavers (60 males and 40 females) in the Department of Forensic Medicine, Lady Hardinge Medical College, New Delhi from November 2022 to January 2024. Supine length and bilateral tibial lengths were measured by standard anthropometric methods.
The statistical analysis showed that supine length is positively correlated with tibial length for both sexes. The mean supine length was significantly higher in males (166.85 ± 6.96 cm) compared to females (155.60 ± 6.90 cm) (p=0.05). Similarly, males also had significantly greater tibial lengths than females (p=0.001), but no significant bilateral differences could be found.
The regression equations generated using these models showed high predictive performance accuracy. The present study finds that percutaneous tibial length of the extremities is an accurate and practical measure for stature estimation based on the study indicates a high reliability and application of the measurement of stature. Population-specific regression models for forensic identification make for better accuracy, particularly in cases where missing people were studied, whether it is medico-legal cases or incomplete body parts.
Downloads
References
Kerley, E. R. (1976). Forensic anthropology and crimes involving children. Journal of Forensic Sciences, 21, 333–339.
Steele, D. G., & Bramblett, C. A. (1988). The anatomy and biology of the human skeleton. Texas A&M University Press.
Ukoha, & Ubelaker, D. H. (2016). Human skeletal remains: Excavation, analysis, interpretation (3rd ed.). Taraxacum.
MacLaughlin-Black, S., & Gunstone, A. (1995). Early fetal maturity assessed from patterns of ossification in the hand and foot. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 5, 51–59.
Vercellotti, G., et al. (2018). Stature estimation in an early medieval (XI–XII c.) Polish population: Testing the accuracy of regression equations in a bioarchaeological sample. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 140, 135–142.
Saunders, S. R. (2000). Subadult skeletons and growth-related studies. In S. R. Saunders & M. A. Katzenberg (Eds.), Skeletal biology of past peoples: Research methods (pp. 135–161). Wiley-Liss.
Mondal, M. K., Jana, T. K., Giri, S., & Roy, H. (2012). Height prediction from ulnar length in females: A study in Burdwan District of West Bengal (regression analysis). Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research, 1, 1–4.
Agnihotri, A. K., Kachhwaha, S., Jowaheer, V., & Singh, A. P. (2009). Estimating stature from percutaneous length of tibia and ulna in Indo-Mauritian population. Forensic Science International, 187(1–3), 109e1–109e3.
Anirban, D., Arindam, B., & Prithviraj, K. (2013). Estimation of stature of Eastern Indians from measurements of tibial length. Anatomy & Physiology, 3, 2161–0940.
Acheson, R. M., & Hewitt, D. (1954). Oxford Child Health Survey: Stature and skeletal maturation in the preschool child. British Journal of Preventive and Social Medicine, 8, 59–65.
Krogman, W. M., & İşcan, M. Y. (1986). The human skeleton in forensic medicine (2nd ed.). Charles C. Thomas.
Scheuer, L., & Black, S. (2000). Developmental juvenile osteology. Academic Press.
Acheson, R. M. (1966). Maturation of the skeleton. In F. Falkner (Ed.), Human development (pp. 465–502). W. B. Saunders.
Saunders, S. R. (1992). Subadult skeletons and growth-related studies. In S. R. Saunders & M. A. Katzenberg (Eds.), Skeletal biology of past peoples: Research methods (pp. 1–20). Wiley-Liss.
Saini, N., Chauhan, S., Katara, P., & Parashar, R. (2013). A correlation study between stature and percutaneous tibial length in adult males and females of Rajasthan. Indian Journal of Basic and Applied Medical Research, 1(3), 21–26.
Mehta, A. A., Mehta, A. A., Gajbhiye, V. M., & Verma, S. (2015). Correlation of percutaneous tibial length with body height and estimation of stature in living Central India population. International Journal of Anatomy and Research, 3(2), 1159–1161.
Chandravadiya, L. N., Patel, S. M., Goda, J. B., & Patel, S. V. (2013). Estimation of stature from percutaneous tibial length. International Journal of Biological & Medical Research, 4(1), 2752–2754.
Gupta, P., Kumar, P., Gaharwar, A., Ansari, H., & Hussein, M. (2014). Correlation of percutaneous length of tibia with body height and estimation of stature in living North Indian males. Journal of Applied Medical Sciences, 4(2D), 848–852.
Trivedi, A., Saxena, S., Morya, R., Jehan, M., & Bhadkaria, V. (2014). Stature estimation using percutaneous tibial length in people of Gwalior region. IOSR Journal of Dental and Medical Sciences, 13(5), 65–70.
Kavyashree, A. N., Bindurani, M. K., Asha, K. R., & Prabha, L. (2018). Estimation of stature by morphometry of percutaneous tibia. Indian Journal of Clinical Anatomy and Physiology, 5(3), 308–313.
Sume, B. W. (2019). Estimation of body height from percutaneous length of tibia in Debre Markos University students, North West Ethiopia. Egyptian Journal of Forensic Sciences, 9(1), 1–8.
Poudel, A., & Satyal, B. (2017). Percutaneous tibial length measurement for estimation and correlation of stature in Nepalese males. Journal of Nepalgunj Medical College, 15(2), 33–36.
Auyeung, T. W., Lee, J. S., Kwok, T., Leung, J. L., Leung, P. C., & Woo, J. (2009). Estimation of stature by measuring fibula and ulna bone length in 2443 older adults. The Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging, 13, 931–936.
Diac, M. M., Iov, T., Damian, S. I., Kneiling, A., Girlescu, N., Lucasievici, C., David, S., Kranioti, E. F., & Iliescu, D. B. (2021). Estimation of stature from tibia length for Romanian adult population. Applied Sciences, 11(24), 11962.
Gardasevic, J. (2019). Body height in Kosovo population and its estimation from tibia length: National survey. Anthropological Notebooks, 25(3), 77–86.
Mahakkanukrauh, P., Khanpetch, P., Prasitwattanseree, S., Vichairat, K., & Case, D. T. (2011). Stature estimation from long bone lengths in a Thai population. Forensic Science International, 210(1–3), 279e1–279e7.
Kaore, A., Kaore, B. P., & Kamdi, A. (2012). Stature estimation from tibial length. National Journal of Integrated Research in Medicine, 3(2), 51–56.
Terry, M. A., Winell, J. J., Green, D. W., Schneider, R., Peterson, M., Marx, R. G., & Widmann, R. F. (2005). Measurement variance in limb length discrepancy: Clinical and radiographic assessment of interobserver and intraobserver variability. Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics, 25, 197–201.
Chavan, S. K., Chavan, K. D., Mumbre, S. S., & Makhani, C. S. (2009). Stature and percutaneous tibial length: A correlational study in Maharashtrian population. Indian Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology, 2(3), 109–112.
Bhavna, & Nath, S. (2007). Estimation of stature on the basis of measurements of the lower limb. Anthro Special, 3, 219–222.
Khatun, S. S., Sharma, N., Jain, S. K., & Gupta, A. (2016). Estimation of stature from percutaneous tibial length in Indian population. International Journal of Anatomy and Research, 4(3), 2571–2576.
