Asian Journal of Medical Research and Case Reports

Determination of biological sex from skeletal remains an important component of forensic human identification, particularly where conventional means of identification are unavailable. The cranial base, owing to its structural durability and resistance to postmortem damage, provides dependable anatomical landmarks for metric assessment. This investigation explored the usefulness of mastoid length, foramen magnum length, and foramen magnum breadth as discriminative cranial indicators for sex classification among adults in Southern Nigeria through computed tomography-based evaluation. This retrospective analytical study utilized cranial CT scans obtained from adult subjects within Southern Nigeria. Measurements of the selected cranial parameters were obtained directly from reconstructed digital images using standardized radiological protocols. Statistical processing was performed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 27. Descriptive analysis was used to summarize cranial measurements, while independent sample t-tests assessed sex-based differences. Discriminant function analysis was employed to establish the predictive strength of the measured variables for sex differentiation. The analysis demonstrated consistent enlargement of all assessed parameters in males relative to females, reflecting marked sexual dimorphism within the studied population. Significant statistical differences were observed between both sexes across the measured variables. Among the parameters examined, foramen magnum length and breadth emerged as the strongest discriminator, while mastoid length also showed substantial classification utility. The discriminant model generated from these variables demonstrated high reliability for sex assignment, confirming the diagnostic relevance of cranial base metrics in population-specific forensic applications. The findings underscore the value of CT-derived mastoid and foramen magnum measurements as objective and reproducible indicators for sex estimation. Their integration into forensic anthropological practice offers a precise, non-destructive, and population-relevant approach for sex classification in Southern Nigerian adults.