Growth Analysis and Age Estimation of Human Fetus from Human Fetal Humerus

Metric study on human fetal bones does not limit itself in understanding the prenatal growth pattern alone. Rather it holds its application in the areas of anatomical, clinical and forensic sciences. Few studies are available on fetal diaphyseal length of humerus correlates with crown-rump length /crown-heel length (CRL/CHL). However the earlier studies show variations in the objectives, methodology adopted to prepare the bones, measurements selected and sample size which all depict an unreliable data base. The present study has been carried out on 912 fetal humeri from 456 human fetuses (244 males, 212 females) the largest sample ever reported, of varying periods of prenatal growth from 11 weeks to 40 weeks. Another significant aspect of the present study is that the humeri have been prepared through simple maceration process to preserve the originality of the bones. The maximum length of the diaphysis of humerus (h-ml) has been taken. It has been observed that there exists an overall prenatal growth pattern of fetal humerus based on the h-ml. There is a highly significant correlation observed between the h-ml and the CRL and CHL. Bisexual and bilateral differences have been analyzed. On the basis of the h-ml, regression equations have been calculated to estimate the fetal age, a crucial factor in medico-legal cases.