Sex Determination from Measurements of the Sternum Using Multislice Computed Tomography of the Chest in Pashtun Population of Swat

Abstract

This study was designed, for the first time, to discuss sexual dimorphism in the sternum bone of a specific Pathan race of District Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is hypothesized that the osteometric traits of the sternum will be sexually dimorphic in the peoples of District Swat. The target population was among the patients who came to Radiology Department Saidu Teaching Hospital, Swat for routine investigations with multi-slice computed tomography for chest problems. The population included in the study were, adults aged ranged from 20 to 60 years old, and had no chest wall pathology. A total of 260 (130 each male and female) patients were selected. The parameters studied were sternal area, manubrium length, sternal length, manubrium width and sternal width at two levels. There was a significant difference in the sternum of males than that of females in the Pashtun population of Swat. All the measurements were significantly lower (p <0.001) in female as compared to the male population. The most important prediction of gender is manubrium length, manubrium width and body length. These were the most useful dimensions of the sternum to discriminate genders. In other words, due to the significant differences in the dimensions of the sternum in various ethnicities, gender differentiation is possible by examining all studied parameters.