Anthropometric Determination of Gestational Age in Cadaveric Fetuses From the Konkan Region, Maharashtra

Background: Estimation of gestational age (GA) is important in fetal anatomy, pathology, and forensic medicine, particularly when reliable obstetric records or imaging are unavailable.Although limb measurements are commonly used to assess fetal growth, craniofacial measurements have received relatively less attention in studies involving Indian cadaveric fetuses.The present study examined craniofacial and limb anthropometric parameters and their relationship with GA in cadaveric fetuses from the Konkan region of Maharashtra, India.Methods: This cross-sectional observational study included 100 human cadaveric fetuses with documented GAs ranging from 12.4 to 42.0 weeks.Facial height (FH), bizygomatic width (BZW), foot length (FL), and femur diaphyseal length (FDL) were measured using a manual Vernier caliper.Each parameter was measured three times by the same observer, and the mean value was considered for analysis.Pearson's correlation, simple and multiple linear regression, and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 26.0 (Released 2019; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York).Results: The mean GA of the study specimens was 31.16 ± 7.68 weeks.All four anthropometric parameters showed significant positive correlations with GA (p < 0.001).FL had the highest numerical correlation (r = 0.930), followed closely by FDL (r = 0.924), FH (r = 0.877), and BZW (r = 0.862).The FL-only regression model had an R² of 0.864 and a root mean square error (RMSE) of 2.82 weeks.The addition of FH resulted in a modest improvement in model fit, with an R² of 0.872, an adjusted R² of 0.869, and an RMSE of 2.69 weeks.Anthropometric measurements also differed significantly across the GA groups (p < 0.001).Conclusion: FL showed the highest numerical correlation with GA among the parameters examined, although its association was comparable to that of FDL.Adding FH to the FL model produced a modest improvement in the regression model.The findings provide preliminary data on the relationship between fetal anthropometric measurements and GA in a single-center cohort from the Konkan region.The proposed equations require further evaluation through independent validation in larger, multicenter studies before their use in clinical or forensic practice can be considered.