Morphometric Evaluation of Sella Turcica for Sex Discrimination Using Multidetector Computed Tomography in a Sample of Egyptian Population

Khattab, Amira Mamdouh; Elgohary, Mona Sayed; Foda, Haitham Mosbah; Sagah, Ghada Attia

doi:10.21608/esctj.2024.332466.1073

Morphometric Evaluation of Sella Turcica for Sex Discrimination Using Multidetector Computed Tomography in a Sample of Egyptian Population

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Forensic Medicine and Clinical Toxicology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Kafr El-Sheikh University, Egypt.

² Forensic Medicine and Clinical Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt.

³ Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Kafr El-Sheikh University, Egypt.

⁴ Forensic Medicine and Clinical Toxicology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Egypt.

10.21608/esctj.2024.332466.1073

Abstract

Background: Sex identification of the adult skeleton is an important initial step as the estimation of age and stature of individual is sex dependent. Sella turcica is located in the middle cranial fossa which is less likely to be damaged and may still carry useful information for personal identification even in fractured skulls. Multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) scanning has become extensively used in forensic medicine for sex identification. Aim of the work: To evaluate morphological and metric measurements of sella turcica for sex discrimination using MDCT in a sample of Egyptian population. Subjects and Methods: This study was a prospective cross-sectional study, conducted on randomly selected 334 adult Egyptians (167 males and 167 females) who underwent MDCT scans on the head. The ages of participants ranged between 18 and 68 years. Results: The length and depth of the sella showed statistically significant differences between males and females. The notching shape of the posterior part of dorsum sellae showed the highest accuracy for predicting male sex. Conversely, the bridging shape of the sella turcica could significantly predict female sex with 57% accuracy. The multivariable regression analysis model indicated that the sellar length, depth, and notching shape of the posterior part of dorsum sellae were significant predictors of male sex with 63.2% accuracy. Conclusion: The sella turcica can serve as a relatively good adjuvant tool for sex identification among adult Egyptians. Additionally, the equations derived from both univariate and multivariate regression analysis models can be used by forensic specialists for sex discrimination among the adult Egyptian population.

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