Height prediction using metacarpal lengths as measured on radiography in postmortem identification

• Developed 63 new height estimation formulas using metacarpal lengths. • Found strongest height correlation with right metacarpal II in females (r=0.691). • Right metacarpal IV was best height predictor in males (r=0.654). • Metacarpal-based height prediction showed R² up to 59.5% (p<0.001). • First study in North Sumatra using ethnic-specific metacarpal measurements. The incidence of disasters has increased significantly in Indonesia over the last two decades, necessitating accurate forensic identification methods to determine victims' identities, including estimating their height from metacarpal bone lengths, a metric for which no official formula yet exists in Indonesia. This study, an analytical correlational cross-sectional research conducted in North Sumatra from March to May 2024, involved 138 subjects and used cluster random sampling. Primary data, namely measurements of the length of the metacarpal bones obtained through computerized X- ray photos of the respondents' right and left palms connected to an X-ray machine, then the data was processed using SPSS software version 26. The statistical analysis methods used include normality tests, Pearson correlation tests, and linear regression tests. Findings showed a significance level (Sig) of 0.001 with a coefficient interval ranging from 0.438 to 0.756, indicating a moderate to strong correlation. A total of 63 new formulas for estimating height from metacarpal bones I-V were discovered, with the best predictors varying by gender and overall best involving multiple variables. This research provides a new set of formulas for estimating height from metacarpal lengths, applicable to the North Sumatran population.