The relationship and clinical significance of femoral neck shaft angle with other osteometric measurements in dry femoral bones

Abstract

In this study, we aimed to provide an extended morphometric dataset regarding proximal and distal femoral geometry for anthropologists and orthopedists. Femoral morphometry was used for estimation of sex and age in forensic anthropology.Especially it is important in hip and knee arthroplasty from the surgical point of view. We studied a group of 120 (60 right, 60 left) dry femoral bones. 15 Linear and one angular anthropometric parameter were evaluated by using a digital caliper and goniometer. Measurement parameters; the femoral length, the length and width of femoral shaft, the circumference and vertical diameter of the femoral head, the circumference, width, anterior and axis lengths of the femoral neck, the length of intertrochanteric line, neck-shaft angle, the width, height and index of intercondylar notch, the width of medial and lateral condyles, and bicondylar width. Also, the femurs were subdivided into three groups according to the shape and index of intercondylar notch. There was no significant difference between the measurement values with respect to laterality (p>0.05). Femoral neck-shaft angle showed a significant negative correlation with the anterior and axis lengths of the femoral neck (r=-0.255, p=0.005; r=-0.190, p=0.038). Proximal femoral parameters except neck-shaft angle showed a strong positive correlation with each other. There was a positive correlation between the parameters of distal femur except for the width of medial condyle. We think that the obtained morphometric data can be used as a reference database for future anthropometric studies and may be useful for surgeons in terms of the design of hip and knee prostheses.