Morphometry of the Foramen Magnum for Sex Estimation in Romanian Adult Population

Abstract

The foramen magnum makes the transition between the cephalic extremity and the spine, which is an anatomical element of the skull. So, there are multiple situations when the skull is the only skeletal element available for anthropological analysis. In this respect, the foramen magnum can provide valuable information in terms of skeletal anthropological expertise. According to the literature, the foramen magnum provides, from a morphometric and morphological point of view, individual and population characteristics. The study aims to evaluate the morphometry of the foramen magnum for establish the sex of an unknown person, specific for Romanian adult population. The authors analyzed morphometrically the foramen magnum of 50 cranio-cerebral computer tomographic images. Measurements of the foramen magnum were taken anteroposterior diameter, transverse diameter, based on the two being calculated the anthropometric index and the area of the foramen magnum. Statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS 23. Discriminant function analysis was applied, and discriminant formulas were created for sex determination of Romanian adult population. The results of the analysis are impressive and have a good applicability in a forensic anthropological context. The data used in this paper provides reliable results with a large applicability in the future for estimating the sex from foramen magnum for Romanian adult population.