AbstractIntroduction: Height is an important anthropometric parameter, it becomes difficult many times to record the height of an individual due to disability of lower limbs and axial skeleton, in forensic investigation and bedridden patients. Various studies tried to estimate the height of individual from the length of long bones like tibia and ulna. Length of ulna is an easily accessible anthropometric parameter. As the ulna is subcutaneous and easily accessible bone of the upper limb, we tried to analyze the relation between the length of ulna with height of individual. Objective: The objective of this study is to estimate the height of an individual from the length of ulna using a derived equation and to compare the results with other studies done in different populations. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in the department of Anatomy, Prakash Institute of Medical Sciences & Research, Uran Islampur, in the state of Maharashtra in India. On 145 subjects who were students of first year MBBS . The age of the subjects ranged from 18 to 23 years and was healthy without any skeletal deformity. The Institutional Ethics Committee clearance was obtained. After getting written consent from the subject, the height of the individual was measured from vertex to heel with a stadiometer, and For ulna length, the subject’s elbow was flexed to 900 with fingers extended in the direction of the long axis of the forearm, and the distance between the most proximal point of the olecranon and the tip of the styloid process of the ulna was measured. Ulanr length of both the ulna was measured. The data were tabulated and analyzed statistically using SPSS software. Results: The mean height of male was 166.83±5.93 cm (range: 158 – 185 cm) and female was 157.96±5.96 cm (range: 145 – 168 cm). The difference between the mean heights of male and female was statistically highly significant (P < 0.001). The mean length of right ulna bone in male was27.95±1.34 cm (range: 24.50 – 29.95 cm) and in female was 25.56±1.27 cm (range: 22.10 – 28.10cm). The difference between the mean length of the right ulna of male and female was statistically very highly significant (P < 0.001). The mean length of left ulna bone in male was 27.75±1.31 cm (range: 24.10 – 29.80 cm) and in female was 25.49±1.33 cm (range: 21.67 – 28.20 cm). The difference between the mean length of left ulna of male and female was statistically very highly significant (P < 0.001). Conclusion: The length of ulna bone is a reliable and accurate parameter which is used in estimating the height of an individual. The regression equation, which was derived in this study, can be of great help to anatomists, clinicians, anthropologists and forensic scientists.
Keywords: Height of Individual; Stature of Individual; Length of Ulna Bone; Ulna Bone; Estimation of Height