In this study, we determined the intercondylar shelf angle of the femur in adult black Malawian subjects as measured in lateral radiographs of the knee joint. A total of 856 radiographs were used: 464 from men and 392 from women, aged 18-70 years. A goniometer measured the intercondylar shelf angle at the intersection between Blumensaat's line and a line drawn along the edge of the distal third of the femur parallel to the posterior cortex of the bone. The mean intercondylar shelf angle of 136.60 degrees +/- 5.90 degrees in Malawians of both sexes was significantly different from 142.57 degrees +/- 5.86 degrees for American subjects (P < 0.001), as given by Craig (1995, J. Forensic Sci. 40:777-782), but the level of statistical significance between black Malawian females and black American females was at P < 0.01. Using the intercondylar shelf angle, 66.67% of male Malawians were correctly identified as such and 50.00% of Malawians females as such. Eighty-three percent of males and 81.30% of females were correctly identified as blacks. This angle has been shown to exhibit sexual dimorphism in Malawian subjects. Its importance in forensic anthropology is stressed.
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