Acharya Shwetha, Gupta Chandni, Palimar Vikram, Guruprasad Kalthur Sneha, Adhikari Purnima
Department of Anatomy, Katsurba Medical College, Manipal, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, 576104, India.
Department of Forensic Medicine , Katsurba Medical College, Manipal, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, 576104, India.
F1000Res. 2025 May 15;14:119. doi: 10.12688/f1000research.160629.2. eCollection 2025.
The human ear is unique to individuals, and ear prints, like fingerprints, are discrete enough to distinguish identical twins. Thus, this study aimed to estimate the stature and sex using various morphometric parameters and morphological features of the external ear for forensic identification.
This was a cross-sectional observational study involving 40 participants recruited using simple random sampling technique. Eighteen measurements were taken, and various morphological features were noted for both the right and left ears. A digital Vernier caliper was used to measure all linear parameters. The angles were measured using a goniometer. Normal distribution was verified using the Shapiro-Wilk test. For normally distributed parameters, an independent t-test was used, and for non-normally distributed parameters, the Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare sexes. To compare the right and left parameters, independent t-tests (for normally distributed data) and Mann-Whitney U tests (for non-normally distributed data) were applied. Sex determination and stature estimation were performed using logistic regression analysis.
In males and females, the most common shape was oval (47.5%), and the ear lobe was free (45%). When comparing the parameters of males on the right and left sides, it was noticed that only the ear inclination angle and concha mastoid angle showed significant differences (p < 0.05). It was seen that the right lobe width showed perfect separation, indicating its potential as an extremely reliable predictor of sex. It was noted that in females, the strongest correlation with height was with the ear inclination angle on both sides.
We can conclude from the results of this study that the right lobe width of external ear can be a reliable predictor of sex. Ear inclination angle on both sides showed strongest correlation with height. The results of this study can help forensic anthropologists identify the sex and stature of a person from various ear measurements in young South Indian adults.
人类的耳朵因人而异，耳纹与指纹一样，具有足够的独特性，足以区分同卵双胞胎。因此，本研究旨在利用外耳的各种形态测量参数和形态特征来估计身高和性别，以用于法医鉴定。
这是一项横断面观察性研究，采用简单随机抽样技术招募了40名参与者。对左右耳进行了18项测量，并记录了各种形态特征。使用数字游标卡尺测量所有线性参数。使用测角仪测量角度。使用夏皮罗-威尔克检验验证正态分布。对于正态分布的参数，使用独立t检验；对于非正态分布的参数，使用曼-惠特尼U检验比较性别。为了比较左右参数，应用了独立t检验（用于正态分布数据）和曼-惠特尼U检验（用于非正态分布数据）。使用逻辑回归分析进行性别判定和身高估计。
在男性和女性中，最常见的形状是椭圆形（47.5%），耳垂为游离型（45%）。比较男性左右耳的参数时，发现只有耳倾斜角和耳甲乳突角存在显著差异（p < 0.05）。可以看出，右耳垂宽度显示出完美的区分度，表明其作为性别极其可靠预测指标的潜力。值得注意的是，在女性中，与身高相关性最强的是两侧的耳倾斜角。
从本研究结果可以得出结论，外耳的右耳垂宽度可以作为性别的可靠预测指标。两侧的耳倾斜角与身高的相关性最强。本研究结果有助于法医人类学家根据年轻南印度成年人的各种耳部测量来确定一个人的性别和身高。
