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Background: Accurate stature estimation plays an essential role in the identification of unknown deceased individuals. For cases in which conventional methods of stature estimation are not applicable, we studied the stature estimation potential of the fourth lumbar vertebra (L4) among a large living sample of representative contemporary Finns. We also generated stature estimation equations for the middle-aged Finnish population., Material and Methods: Our study population comprised the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 for which lumbar magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans and objective measurements of stature were available from midlife (n=1358). After screening the MRI scans for vertebral pathologies, we measured the maximum and minimum widths, depths and heights of the L4 body with high precision and reliability. We then calculated their sums and means together with approximations of vertebral cross-sectional area and volume. By constructing simple and multiple linear regression models around the L4 parameters, we generated equations for stature prediction, and investigated their accuracy on the basis of the adjusted R squared (R 2 ) and standard error of the estimate (SEE) values of the models., Results: The multiple linear regression models of the mean width, depth and height of L4 yielded the highest prediction accuracies with the lowest prediction errors (for the entire sample, R 2 =0.621 and SEE=5.635cm; for men, R 2 =0.306 and SEE=5.125cm; for women, R 2 =0.367 and SEE=4.640cm)., Conclusion: When conventional methods for estimating stature are not applicable, the lumbar vertebrae may be utilized for this purpose. Relatively accurate stature estimates can be given on the basis of only L4 dimensions., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Accurate sex estimation (sexing) is crucial for successful forensic identification. For the cases in which only a part of the skeleton or individual skeletal elements are available, we investigated the sex estimation potential of the fourth lumbar vertebra (L4) among 20-, 30-, and 46-year-old Northern Finns., Material and Methods: Magnetic resonance imaging scanned living subsamples of the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 (scan at 46years, n=1363) and the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986 (repeated scans at 20 and 30years, n=375) provided the material for the study. After screening the scans for vertebral pathologies, we measured the maximum and minimum widths, depths, and heights of the L4 body. The mean vertebral width, depth and height were calculated together with vertebral cross-sectional area and volume. Sex estimations were performed using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis., Results: We detected marked sex discrepancy in all the studied parameters of L4 (p<0.001). In the groups aged 20, 30, and 46years, the regression models reached correct sex estimation rates of 86.4%, 87.7%, and 82.8%, respectively. At each time point, multivariate models proved more accurate than univariate models. Men showed consistently lower correct sex estimation rates than women., Conclusion: Among 20-, 30-, and 46year-old Finns, combining the measurements of width, depth, and height of the L4 body can be used to estimate sex with an accuracy of >80%. Vertebral width, depth, and height seem to yield as accurate sex estimates as more complicated vertebral parameters., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)