Anat Cell Biol.  2010 Jun;43(2):169-177. 10.5115/acb.2010.43.2.169.

Improved analysis of palm creases

• Park JS
• Shin DS
• Jung W
• Chung MS

• KMID: 2168891
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5115/acb.2010.43.2.169

Abstract

Palm creases are helpful in revealing anthropologic characteristics and diagnosing chromosomal aberrations, and have been analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively. However, previous methods of analyzing palm creases were not objective so that reproducibility could not be guaranteed. In this study, a more objective morphologic analysis of palm creases was developed. The features of the improved methods include the strict definition of major and minor palm creases and the systematic classification of major palm creases based on their relationships, branches, and variants. Furthermore, based on the analysis of 3,216 Koreans, palm creases were anthropologically interpreted. There was a tendency for palm creases to be evenly distributed on the palm, which was acknowledged by the relationship between major and minor creases as well as by the incidences of major creases types. This tendency was consistent with the role of palm creases to facilitate folding of palm skin. The union of major palm creases was frequent in males and right palms to have powerful hand grip. The new method of analyzing palm creases is expected to be widely used for anthropologic investigation and chromosomal diagnosis.

Keyword

Dermatoglyphics; analysis; physical anthropology

MeSH Terms

Anthropology, Physical
Chromosome Aberrations
Dermatoglyphics
Hand
Hand Strength
Humans
Incidence
Male
Skin

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Definition of major and minor palm creases. Major palm creases are defined as follows. Radial longitudinal crease (I) becomes distinct according to the flexion of carpometacarpal joints of the thumb. Proximal (II) and distal transverse creases (III) become distinct according to the flexion of the metacarpophalangeal joints of the second to fifth fingers. Minor palm creases are defined as palm creases which are narrower than the two times of the epidermal groove width in palmprints (1), apart from major palm creases (2), crossing major palm creases (3), or leading to major palm creases by the sharpened end (4).

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  Fig. 2 Types of palm creases based on the radial longitudinal crease (I) and proximal transverse crease (II). Closed crease (A): I and II meet to form a common crease. Open crease (B): I and II do not meet. Meeting crease (C): I and II meet on the radial border of the palm.

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  Fig. 3 Types of palm creases based on the relationship between the proximal transverse crease (II) and distal transverse crease (III). Normal crease (A): II and III do not meet. Simian crease (B): II and III meet to cross the palm. Sydney crease (C): II and III meet, accompanied by accessory III. Suwon crease (D): II and III meet accompanied by accessory II.

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  Fig. 4 Subtypes of normal, simian, and Sydney creases based on the branches of the proximal transverse crease (II) and distal transverse crease (III). Normal 1: II and III do not meet absolutely. Normal 2: II and III meet by recurrent branches of II, III. Simian 1: Branch of II or III does not exist. Simian 2: Proximal branch of II exists. Simian 3: Distal branch of III exists. Simian 4: Proximal branch of II and distal branch of III exist. Simian 5: II and III meet by branches of II and III. Sydney 1: Branch of II or III does not exist. Sydney 2: Proximal branch of II exists. Sydney 3: Distal branch of III exists. Sydney 4: Proximal branch of II and distal branch of III exist. Sydney 5: II and accessory III meet by branches of II and accessory III. Sydney 6: II and accessory III meet by the recurrent branches of II and accessory III.

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  Fig. 5 Variants of distal transverse crease (III). Branched variant (A): III has branches. Forked variant (B): III is divided into two. Accessory variant (C): III is accompanied by accessory palm creases which are parallel and more than half of the III length. Broken variant (D): III has broken points where parts of III are straight. Cascade variant (E): III has broken points where parts of III are not straight but parallel.

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  Fig. 6 X and Y coordinates of radial longitudinal crease (I), proximal transverse crease (II), distal transverse crease (III), and total degree of transversality (T-DoT). T-DoT=(the sum of X-axis distances of I, II, III)/(the sum of Y-axis distances of I, II, III). A grid drawn on the palm in the manner that the zero point (0, 0) of the grid is drawn on the distal and radial end of the palm, and the X-axis end point (100, 0) of the grid is drawn on the distal and ulnar end of the palm (A). An example of X and Y coordinates in normal crease. T-DoT=(50+60+73)/(58+19+18) (B). An example of X and Y coordinates in the simian crease. T-DoT=(50+100)/(42+0) (C).

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  Fig. 7 Incidences of the starting and termination points of the radial longi-tudinal crease (I), proximal transverse crease (II), and distal transverse crease (III) of normal, simian, Sydney creases in Koreans. Numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 in illustration mean frequent cases of the individual palm creases.

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  Fig. 8 A case in which the major palm creases are not distinct, but the minor palm creases are distinct.

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  Fig. 9 Total degree of transversality (T-DoT) of normal, simian, and Sydney creases in Koreans and Americans. American Sydney creases are not reported (Dar & Schmidt, 1976).

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