Employing Computed Tomography to Assess Clavicle Symmetry in Healthy Adults in the Indian Population of Dakshina Karnataka

Abstract

Background The S-shaped collar bone lies horizontally at the root of the neck and is one of the most common bones to fracture. The symmetry of the clavicle bone differs between males and females, so the present study was conducted to assess the symmetry of the clavicle in healthy adults of the Indian population in the Dakshina Karnataka region. Methods The data for this cross-sectional study were retrospectively collected from 138 adult patients who all underwent chest computed tomography (CT) for clinical reasons. Patients younger than 18 years and those with bony fractures, trauma, or other deformities were excluded. Axial chest CT images were used to trace the anatomy of the clavicle. The curved planar reconstruction technique was used to trace the maximum length of the bilateral clavicle. Results There were 138 patients of both sexes. Patients ranged in age from 20 to 80 years. The chi-square test was used to investigate whether sex and clavicle symmetry were related. In women, bilateral symmetry and asymmetry were 42.5 and 41.2%, respectively, while in men, they were 57.5 and 58.8%, respectively; hence, there was no significant correlation (p-value = 0.877) between clavicle symmetry and sex. A linear-by-linear association test was performed to ascertain the relationship between the variance in clavicle symmetry and age. It was noted that 51 individuals had asymmetry and 87 had symmetry. The patients were further divided into three age groups. There were 34, 67, and 37 individuals in the 20 to 40, 41 to 60, and 61 to 80 years age groups, respectively. Clavicle symmetry was 27.6% in the 20 to 40 and 61 to 80 age groups and 44.8% in the 41 to 60 age group. The percentages of asymmetry were 19.6, 54.9, and 25.5% in the 20 to 40, 41 to 60, and 61 to 80 years age groups, respectively, with no correlation between age and clavicle length symmetry (p-value = 0.643). Conclusion Regardless of age or sex, the population under study had symmetric clavicles. As a result, the assumption of symmetry may be accepted in some clinical scenarios, such as simple fractures, but caution should be exercised when designing fixatives and surgical cases.