NCJ Number
246059
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 58 Issue: 2 Dated: March 2013 Pages: 443-447
Date Published
March 2013
Length
5 pages
Annotation
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the lateral angle method for the internal acoustic canal for accurately determining the sex of human skeletal remains using measurements taken from computed tomography CT scans.
Abstract
This article presents the results of a validation study of a previously published method of sex determination from the temporal bone. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the lateral angle method for the internal acoustic canal for accurately determining the sex of human skeletal remains using measurements taken from computed tomography (CT) scans. Previous reports have observed that the lateral angle size in females is significantly larger than in males. The method was applied to an independent series of 77 postmortem CT scans (42 males, 35 females) to validate its accuracy and reliability. The mean lateral angle of the internal acoustic canal was found to be larger in females (46.5 degrees ) than in males (43.4 degrees ). However, the difference was not statistically significant and the sex differences reported in previous studies were not substantiated. In light of the observed results, the lateral angle method appears to be of minimal practical use in forensic anthropology and archeology. Abstract published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons.