Analysis of gender differences of the sternum in population of 240 adult patients – original article

Abstract

Introduction and purpose: The sternum is one of the bones that build up the anterior chest wall. It consists of three parts: manubrium, body and xiphoid process. It has been observed that this bone exhibits sexual dimorphism, which can be used in many fields of science. The aim of the study was to find morphological parameters showing sexual dimorphism that allow unambiguous sex identification. Material and method: 240 patients (140 women and 100 men) underwent chest CT and the following measurements were taken: angle of the sternum, length of the manubrium, body and xiphoid process, sum of the length of the manubrium and body, total length of the sternum. The thickness of all three parts of it and the width of the manubrium and body were also measured. Statistical analyses were performed using the Mann-Whitney "U" test. Values of p < 0. 05 were considered statistically significant. Results: The results of all statistical analyses did not show statistical significance as a basis for the definitive determination of gender. However, some trends between the sexes have been observed, but these cannot be regarded as universal principles of gender identification. Conclusions: There is a need for further researches on finding metric parameters of the sternum allowing gender identification, carried out on large population groups. To achieve this goal, the results of imaging tests, which are often used in diagnostics, including post-mortem examinations - Vitropsy, may be useful.

Keywords

• sternum
• sexual dimorphism
• vitropsy