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Sex Estimation Using 3D Models of the Patella in Koreans

  • Anatomy & Biological Anthropology
  • Abbr : Anat Biol Anthropol
  • 2025, 38(3), pp.173~180
  • Publisher : 대한체질인류학회
  • Research Area : Medicine and Pharmacy > Anatomy
  • Received : August 5, 2025
  • Accepted : September 3, 2025
  • Published : September 30, 2025

Ji Hyun Lee 1,  Park Jae-Hyun 1,  Dong-ho Kim 2,  U Young Lee 1,  Won-Joon Lee ORD ID 3

1가톨릭대학교 의과대학
2가톨릭대학교(성의교정) 가톨릭응용해부연구소
3국립과학수사연구원

Accredited

ABSTRACT

Forensic anthropological identification based on human bones is generally conducted in cases where skeletal remains are discovered, such as in large-scale disasters, wars, and archaeological excavations. The most commonly used bones for sex estimation are the skull and pelvis, but when these bones are damaged or fragmented, making estimation difficult, there is a growing need for research on other bones that can be used as substitutes. This paper focuses on the patella, which is dense and resistant to postmortem changes. Among a total of 181 CT data sets of Korean bodies, the patellae of 158 individuals (aged 18 to 78) excluding those who had undergone surgery, children, and those with deformities were reconstructed into 3D images using Mimics. To accurately label the landmarks on the 3D model, reference planes were created for the sagittal, coronal, and transverse planes, and eight landmarks were generated. Based on the landmarks, we measured the size of the patella (patella width, patella height, patella thickness) and the articular surface (articular surface height, PS-PRI height, distal pole height, medial facet height, lateral facet height) and performed statistical analysis. Descriptive statistics, univariate discriminant analysis, and stepwise discriminant analysis were performed, and direct discriminant analysis was performed by selecting three items (height, width, and depth) that constitute the size of the patella. The descriptive statistics showed that there was a significant difference in the measured values of the patella between men and women. The univariate discriminant analysis showed that height (77.2%) and width (77.2%) had the highest classification results, and the stepwise discriminant analysis also selected the equation consisting of height and width, showing a classification result of 78.5%. Finally, direct analysis of the height, width, and depth of the patella showed a classification result of 78.5%. These results confirm that sex estimation using the patella is meaningful for Koreans and will be helpful in the field of forensic anthropology in the future

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