Assessing the role of human ear in sex identification among adult Egyptians: Anthropometric and Radiologic study

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Human ear has gained popularity in the field of identification and despite its medico-legal role; it is still underestimated as a probable tool for sex determination. Few, if any, studies have been conducted on Egyptian population to assess its role in identification.

Aim of the work: To assess sex from the human ear (auricle and semicircular canals), to derive special equations for sex assignment in Egyptians.

Subjects and Methods: The study sample composed of 260 adult Egyptians divided into two groups. First, the external ear group (100 males and 100 females) where ear length, width and index, base of auricle, lobular length, width and index, lobule ear index and conchal length, width and index were taken for the left auricle. Second, the inner ear group (30 males and 30 females) who were subjected for radiological investigations by Multi- Detector Computed Tomography scanning of the petrous part of temporal bone. The measurement of the maximum height and width of the left three semicircular canals were taken and the index of each canal was calculated.

Results: Regarding the external ear; ear length and width, base of auricle, lobular width and index, and conchal length and width were significantly higher in males while lobule ear index was significantly higher in females. The sex classification accuracy was 80% with the significant parameters incorporated in one regression model. While for the inner ear all parameters were sexually dimorphic except for superior semicircular canal width which was insignificant between both sexes. The sex determination accuracy by logistic regression of all significant parameters reached 95%.

Conclusions: Measurements of both auricle and semicircular canals dimensions may be useful in sex determination when other methods are inconclusive. The inner ear parameters showed higher degree of expected accuracy.

Kew word:  Sex, identification, external ear, semicircular canals, MDCT.

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