Metacarpal lengths & ratios as a marker of sexual dimorphism in population of Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir. A radiological study

This study was designed to compare and detect possible differences between the metacarpal length (MCL) and all metacarpal length ratios in left - and right hands of female and male individuals of Haryanvi and J&K populations.Materials and MethodsMetacarpal lengths (MCL) of 143 subjects were measured after obtaining X-ray of both the hands, followed by calculating the ratio of each digit to the others (1MCL:2MCL, 1MCL:3MCL, 1MCL:4MCL, 1MCL:5MCL, 2MCL:3MCL, 2MCL:4MCL, 2MCL:5MCL, 3MCL:4MCL, 3MCL:5MCL, and 4MCL:5MCL).ResultsAll the metacarpals can arranged according to their mean digit lengths in increasing order there to obtain formulae i.e MCL1(49.77) < MCL5( 57.21) < MCL4(61.67) < MCL3(69.74) < MCL2(72.46) & MCL1(49.40) < MCL 5(57.21) < MCL4(61.31)< MCL3(68.33) < MCL2(72.31) for right and left hands of north Indian males respectively. MCL1(45.67) < MCL5(51.81) < MCL4(56.47) < MCL3(64.26) < MCL2(66.60) & MCL1(45.42) < MCL5(51.26) < MCL4(56.09) < MCL3(63.25) < MCL2(66.21) for right and left hands of females respectively.DISCUSSIONMetacarpal length is known to enhance potential, particularly in sporting activities Male and females of north Indian population have difference MCL for their both the hands, hence dimorphism is established. It is especially necessary to measure metacarpal length of the hand for practical reasons. In handball and basketball, the longer is the metacarpal length, the better the accuracy of th...

Source: Journal of the Anatomical Society of India - July 28, 2018 Category: Anatomy Source Type: research