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Does the presence of persistant metopic suture affect the use of frontal sinus and frontal morphometric measurements in gender identification?

Year 2024, EARLY ONLINE, 1 - 8
https://doi.org/10.18621/eurj.1481604

Abstract

Objectives: One structure capable of use for gender estimation in forensic science is the frontal bone. This study used computed tomography (CT) and investigated whether frontal sinus and frontal morphometric measurements could also be used to identify gender in people with persistent metopic suture (PMS).

Methods: Nine hundred ninety-one patients who underwent brain-paranasal sinus CT for any reason were divided into two groups, PMS and non-PMS. The presence and volume of both halves of the frontal sinus, frontal morphometric measurements including minimum-maximum frontal width, and frontal bone surface length on the outer table surface between the coronal sutures in the axial section were measured.

Results: In the non-PMS group, all quantitative parameters (frontal sinus volume, minimum-maximum frontal width, and frontal bone surface length) differed significantly between the genders (P<0.05). However, in the PMS group, only frontal sinus volume and frontal bone surface length differed significantly (P<0.05).

Conclusions: Frontal sinus volume, minimum-maximum frontal width and frontal bone surface length measurements exhibited significant sexual dimorphism in the non-PMS group. Since minimum and maximum frontal width do not exhibit significant gender differences in cases with PMS, the presence of PMS should be considered when using these parameters in gender identification.

Ethical Statement

Approval for the research was received from the Clinical Research Ethics Committee of Süleyman Demirel University Faculty of Medicine (decision dated 30.12.2020 and numbered 72867572-050.01.04-15964).

References

  • 1. Spradley MK, Jantz RL. Sex estimation in forensic anthropology: skull versus postcranial elements. J Forensic Sci. 2011;56(2):289-96. doi: 10.1111/j.1556-4029.2010.01635.x.
  • 2. DiGandi EA, Moore MK. Research Methods in Human Skeletal Biology. 1st ed., Waltham, MA: Academic Press. 2012.
  • 3. Pickering R, David Bachman. The use of forensic anthropology. 2nd ed. Taylor&Francis, CRC Press:Florida, 2009.
  • 4. Ousley S, Richard J. Fordisc 3. Rechtsmedizin. 2013;23:97-99. doi: 10.1007/s00194-013-0874-9.
  • 5. Shearer BM, Sholts SB, Garvin HM, Wärmländer SK. Sexual dimorphism in human browridge volume measured from 3D models of dry crania: a new digital morphometrics approach. Forensic Sci Int. 2012;222(1-3):400.e1-5. doi: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2012.06.013.
  • 6. Musilová B, Dupej J, Velemínská J, Chaumoitre K, Bruzek J. Exocranial surfaces for sex assessment of the human cranium. Forensic Sci Int. 2016;269:70-77. doi: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2016.11.006.
  • 7. Garvin HM, Sholts SB, Mosca LA. Sexual dimorphism in human cranial trait scores: effects of population, age, and body size. Am J Phys Anthropol. 2014;154(2):2592-69. doi: 10.1002/ajpa.22502.
  • 8. Graw M. Significance of the classical morphological criteria for identifying gender using recent skulls. Forensic Sci Commun. 2001;3(1):1-8.
  • 9. Altman K. Facial feminization surgery: current state of the art. Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2012;41(8):885-894. doi: 10.1016/j.ijom.2012.04.024.
  • 10. Pondé JM, Metzger P, Amaral G, Machado M, Prandini M. Anatomic variations of the frontal sinus. Minim Invasive Neurosurg. 2003 Feb;46(1):29-32. doi: 10.1055/s-2003-37956.
  • 11. Skrzat J, Walocha J, Zawiliński J. A note on the morphology of the metopic suture in the human skull. Folia Morphol (Warsz). 2004;63(4):481-484.
  • 12. Kaur N, Sunira C, Parvathi D, Raju M, Neeraj T, Ruhi S. The forensic importance of frontal sinus in gender discrimination: amorphometric study, J. Oral Sign. 2013;5(1):2-5.
  • 13. Weinzweig J, Kirschner RE, Farley A, et al. Metopic synostosis: Defining the temporal sequence of normal suture fusion and differentiating it from synostosis on the basis of computed tomography images. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2003;112(5):1211-1218. doi: 10.1097/01.PRS.0000080729.28749.A3.
  • 14. Collins., Partrica. Gray's Anatomy, Churchil Livingstone, London. 38th edition, 1995, Reprint 2000; p. 354.
  • 15. Torgersen J. A Roentgenological Study of the Metopic Suture. Acta Radiol. 1950;33(1):1-11. doi:10.3109/00016925009133453.
  • 16. Schuller A. A Note on the Identification of Skulls by X-Ray Pictures of the Frontal sinuses. Med J Aust. 1943;1(25):554-556. doi:10.5694/j.1326-5377.1943.tb44655.x.
  • 17. Prossinger H, Bookstein FL. Statistical estimators of frontal sinus cross section ontogeny from very noisy data. J Morphol. 2003;257(1):1-8. doi:10.1002/jmor.10060.
  • 18. Woo, Ju‐Kang. Racial and sexual differences in the frontal curvature and its relation to metopism. Am J Phys Anthropol. 1949;7(2):215-226. doi:10.1002/ajpa.1330070205.
  • 19. Nikolova S, Toneva D, Georgiev I, Lazarov N. Digital radiomorphometric analysis of the frontal sinus and assessment of the relation between persistent metopic suture and frontal sinus development. Am J Phys Anthropol. 2018;165(3):492-506. doi:10.1002/ajpa.23375.
  • 20. Sahlstrand-Johnson P, Jannert M, Strömbeck A, Abul-Kasim K. Computed tomography measurements of different dimensions of maxillary and frontal sinuses. BMC Med Imaging. 2011;11:8. doi: 10.1186/1471-2342-11-8.
  • 21.Vallois HV. Anthropometric techniques. Current Anthropology. 1965;6(2):127-143.
  • 22. Harris AM, Wood RE, Nortjé CJ, Thomas CJ. The frontal sinus: forensic fingerprint? A pilot study. J Forensic Odontostomatol. 1987;5(1):9-15.
  • 23. Walker PL. Sexing skulls using discriminant function analysis of visually assessed traits. Am J Phys Anthropol. 2008;136(1):39-50. doi: 10.1002/ajpa.20776.
  • 24. Xavier, TA, Dias Terada, ASS, da Silva, RHA. Forensic application of the frontal and maxillary sinuses: A literature review. J. Forensic Radiol Imaging 2015;3(2):105-110. doi: 10.1016/j.jofri.2015.05.001
  • 25. Tambawala SS, Karjodkar FR, Sansare K, Prakash N, Dora AC. Sexual dimorphism of foramen magnum using Cone Beam Computed Tomography. J Forensic Leg Med. 2016;44:29-34. doi: 10.1016/j.jflm.2016.08.005.
  • 26. Acsádi GY, Nemeskéri J. History of human life span and mortality. Current Anthropology. 1974;15(4):495-507.
  • 27. Zdilla MJ, Russell ML, Koons AW, Bliss KN, Mangus KR. Metopism: a Study of the Persistent Metopic Suture. J Craniofac Surg. 2018;29(1):204-208. doi: 10.1097/SCS.0000000000004030.
  • 28. Batista Sandre L, Viandelli Mundim-Picoli MB, Fortes Picoli F, Rodrigues LG, Bueno JM, Ferreira da Silva R. Prevalence of agenesis of frontal sinus in human skulls with metopism. J Forensic Odontostomatol. 2017;35(2):20-27.
  • 29. Atalay B, Eser MB. The Relation Between the Metopic Suture Persistence and Frontal Sinus Volume and Olfactory Fossa Depth: A Reliability Study with Semiautomatic Volume Measurement. Medeni Med J. 2021;36(4):287-293. doi: 10.4274/MMJ.galenos.2021.36306.
  • 30. Grine FE, Greening VA, Hernandez E, Billings BK, Mngomezulu V, Mongle CS. Metopism in adult South Africans and its relationship to frontal sinus size. Anat Rec (Hoboken). 2024;307(6):2018-2035. doi: 10.1002/ar.25350.
  • 31. Tatlisumak E, Asirdizer M, Bora A, et al. The effects of gender and age on forensic personal identification from frontal sinus in a Turkish population. Saudi Med J. 2017;38(1):41-47. doi: 10.15537/smj.2017.1.16218.
  • 32. Wanzeler AMV, Alves-Júnior SM, Ayres L, da Costa Prestes MC, Gomes JT, Tuji FM. Sex estimation using paranasal sinus discriminant analysis: a new approach via cone beam computerized tomography volume analysis. Int J Legal Med. 2019;133(6):1977-1984. doi: 10.1007/s00414-019-02100-6.
  • 33. Michel J, Paganelli A, Varoquaux A, et al. Determination of sex: interest of frontal sinus 3D reconstructions. J Forensic Sci. 2015;60(2):269-273. doi: 10.1111/1556-4029.12630.
  • 34. Del Bove A, Profico A, Riga A, Bucchi A, Lorenzo C. A geometric morphometric approach to the study of sexual dimorphism in the modern human frontal bone. Am J Phys Anthropol. 2020;173(4):643-654. doi: 10.1002/ajpa.24154.
  • 35. Čechová M, Dupej J, Brůžek J, Bejdová Š, Horák M, Velemínská J. Sex estimation using external morphology of the frontal bone and frontal sinuses in a contemporary Czech population. Int J Legal Med. 2019;133(4):1285-1294. doi:10.1007/s00414-019-02063-8.
  • 36. Cekdemir YE, Mutlu U, Karaman G, Balci A. Estimation of sex using morphometric measurements performed on cranial computerized tomography scans. Radiol Med. 2021;126(2):306-315. doi: 10.1007/s11547-020-01233-8.
Year 2024, EARLY ONLINE, 1 - 8
https://doi.org/10.18621/eurj.1481604

Abstract

References

  • 1. Spradley MK, Jantz RL. Sex estimation in forensic anthropology: skull versus postcranial elements. J Forensic Sci. 2011;56(2):289-96. doi: 10.1111/j.1556-4029.2010.01635.x.
  • 2. DiGandi EA, Moore MK. Research Methods in Human Skeletal Biology. 1st ed., Waltham, MA: Academic Press. 2012.
  • 3. Pickering R, David Bachman. The use of forensic anthropology. 2nd ed. Taylor&Francis, CRC Press:Florida, 2009.
  • 4. Ousley S, Richard J. Fordisc 3. Rechtsmedizin. 2013;23:97-99. doi: 10.1007/s00194-013-0874-9.
  • 5. Shearer BM, Sholts SB, Garvin HM, Wärmländer SK. Sexual dimorphism in human browridge volume measured from 3D models of dry crania: a new digital morphometrics approach. Forensic Sci Int. 2012;222(1-3):400.e1-5. doi: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2012.06.013.
  • 6. Musilová B, Dupej J, Velemínská J, Chaumoitre K, Bruzek J. Exocranial surfaces for sex assessment of the human cranium. Forensic Sci Int. 2016;269:70-77. doi: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2016.11.006.
  • 7. Garvin HM, Sholts SB, Mosca LA. Sexual dimorphism in human cranial trait scores: effects of population, age, and body size. Am J Phys Anthropol. 2014;154(2):2592-69. doi: 10.1002/ajpa.22502.
  • 8. Graw M. Significance of the classical morphological criteria for identifying gender using recent skulls. Forensic Sci Commun. 2001;3(1):1-8.
  • 9. Altman K. Facial feminization surgery: current state of the art. Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2012;41(8):885-894. doi: 10.1016/j.ijom.2012.04.024.
  • 10. Pondé JM, Metzger P, Amaral G, Machado M, Prandini M. Anatomic variations of the frontal sinus. Minim Invasive Neurosurg. 2003 Feb;46(1):29-32. doi: 10.1055/s-2003-37956.
  • 11. Skrzat J, Walocha J, Zawiliński J. A note on the morphology of the metopic suture in the human skull. Folia Morphol (Warsz). 2004;63(4):481-484.
  • 12. Kaur N, Sunira C, Parvathi D, Raju M, Neeraj T, Ruhi S. The forensic importance of frontal sinus in gender discrimination: amorphometric study, J. Oral Sign. 2013;5(1):2-5.
  • 13. Weinzweig J, Kirschner RE, Farley A, et al. Metopic synostosis: Defining the temporal sequence of normal suture fusion and differentiating it from synostosis on the basis of computed tomography images. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2003;112(5):1211-1218. doi: 10.1097/01.PRS.0000080729.28749.A3.
  • 14. Collins., Partrica. Gray's Anatomy, Churchil Livingstone, London. 38th edition, 1995, Reprint 2000; p. 354.
  • 15. Torgersen J. A Roentgenological Study of the Metopic Suture. Acta Radiol. 1950;33(1):1-11. doi:10.3109/00016925009133453.
  • 16. Schuller A. A Note on the Identification of Skulls by X-Ray Pictures of the Frontal sinuses. Med J Aust. 1943;1(25):554-556. doi:10.5694/j.1326-5377.1943.tb44655.x.
  • 17. Prossinger H, Bookstein FL. Statistical estimators of frontal sinus cross section ontogeny from very noisy data. J Morphol. 2003;257(1):1-8. doi:10.1002/jmor.10060.
  • 18. Woo, Ju‐Kang. Racial and sexual differences in the frontal curvature and its relation to metopism. Am J Phys Anthropol. 1949;7(2):215-226. doi:10.1002/ajpa.1330070205.
  • 19. Nikolova S, Toneva D, Georgiev I, Lazarov N. Digital radiomorphometric analysis of the frontal sinus and assessment of the relation between persistent metopic suture and frontal sinus development. Am J Phys Anthropol. 2018;165(3):492-506. doi:10.1002/ajpa.23375.
  • 20. Sahlstrand-Johnson P, Jannert M, Strömbeck A, Abul-Kasim K. Computed tomography measurements of different dimensions of maxillary and frontal sinuses. BMC Med Imaging. 2011;11:8. doi: 10.1186/1471-2342-11-8.
  • 21.Vallois HV. Anthropometric techniques. Current Anthropology. 1965;6(2):127-143.
  • 22. Harris AM, Wood RE, Nortjé CJ, Thomas CJ. The frontal sinus: forensic fingerprint? A pilot study. J Forensic Odontostomatol. 1987;5(1):9-15.
  • 23. Walker PL. Sexing skulls using discriminant function analysis of visually assessed traits. Am J Phys Anthropol. 2008;136(1):39-50. doi: 10.1002/ajpa.20776.
  • 24. Xavier, TA, Dias Terada, ASS, da Silva, RHA. Forensic application of the frontal and maxillary sinuses: A literature review. J. Forensic Radiol Imaging 2015;3(2):105-110. doi: 10.1016/j.jofri.2015.05.001
  • 25. Tambawala SS, Karjodkar FR, Sansare K, Prakash N, Dora AC. Sexual dimorphism of foramen magnum using Cone Beam Computed Tomography. J Forensic Leg Med. 2016;44:29-34. doi: 10.1016/j.jflm.2016.08.005.
  • 26. Acsádi GY, Nemeskéri J. History of human life span and mortality. Current Anthropology. 1974;15(4):495-507.
  • 27. Zdilla MJ, Russell ML, Koons AW, Bliss KN, Mangus KR. Metopism: a Study of the Persistent Metopic Suture. J Craniofac Surg. 2018;29(1):204-208. doi: 10.1097/SCS.0000000000004030.
  • 28. Batista Sandre L, Viandelli Mundim-Picoli MB, Fortes Picoli F, Rodrigues LG, Bueno JM, Ferreira da Silva R. Prevalence of agenesis of frontal sinus in human skulls with metopism. J Forensic Odontostomatol. 2017;35(2):20-27.
  • 29. Atalay B, Eser MB. The Relation Between the Metopic Suture Persistence and Frontal Sinus Volume and Olfactory Fossa Depth: A Reliability Study with Semiautomatic Volume Measurement. Medeni Med J. 2021;36(4):287-293. doi: 10.4274/MMJ.galenos.2021.36306.
  • 30. Grine FE, Greening VA, Hernandez E, Billings BK, Mngomezulu V, Mongle CS. Metopism in adult South Africans and its relationship to frontal sinus size. Anat Rec (Hoboken). 2024;307(6):2018-2035. doi: 10.1002/ar.25350.
  • 31. Tatlisumak E, Asirdizer M, Bora A, et al. The effects of gender and age on forensic personal identification from frontal sinus in a Turkish population. Saudi Med J. 2017;38(1):41-47. doi: 10.15537/smj.2017.1.16218.
  • 32. Wanzeler AMV, Alves-Júnior SM, Ayres L, da Costa Prestes MC, Gomes JT, Tuji FM. Sex estimation using paranasal sinus discriminant analysis: a new approach via cone beam computerized tomography volume analysis. Int J Legal Med. 2019;133(6):1977-1984. doi: 10.1007/s00414-019-02100-6.
  • 33. Michel J, Paganelli A, Varoquaux A, et al. Determination of sex: interest of frontal sinus 3D reconstructions. J Forensic Sci. 2015;60(2):269-273. doi: 10.1111/1556-4029.12630.
  • 34. Del Bove A, Profico A, Riga A, Bucchi A, Lorenzo C. A geometric morphometric approach to the study of sexual dimorphism in the modern human frontal bone. Am J Phys Anthropol. 2020;173(4):643-654. doi: 10.1002/ajpa.24154.
  • 35. Čechová M, Dupej J, Brůžek J, Bejdová Š, Horák M, Velemínská J. Sex estimation using external morphology of the frontal bone and frontal sinuses in a contemporary Czech population. Int J Legal Med. 2019;133(4):1285-1294. doi:10.1007/s00414-019-02063-8.
  • 36. Cekdemir YE, Mutlu U, Karaman G, Balci A. Estimation of sex using morphometric measurements performed on cranial computerized tomography scans. Radiol Med. 2021;126(2):306-315. doi: 10.1007/s11547-020-01233-8.
There are 36 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Subjects Radiology and Organ Imaging, Forensic Medicine
Journal Section Original Articles
Authors

Ayşe Say 0000-0002-4938-9059

Nazan Okur 0000-0002-3458-2737

Early Pub Date July 26, 2024
Publication Date
Submission Date May 11, 2024
Acceptance Date June 9, 2024
Published in Issue Year 2024 EARLY ONLINE

Cite

AMA Say A, Okur N. Does the presence of persistant metopic suture affect the use of frontal sinus and frontal morphometric measurements in gender identification?. Eur Res J. Published online July 1, 2024:1-8. doi:10.18621/eurj.1481604

e-ISSN: 2149-3189 


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