Proximal Femur Indices Of Adults In Ghana

ABSTRACT Background: Definite knowledge of the anatomical indices of adult proximal femur of indigenous Ghanaians will better inform procurement of best-fit prostheses imported from abroad, where these are made for populations with different anthropological indices. This development should forestall the occurrence of misfit femoral prostheses and attendant health hazards in Ghana. AIM: This study generated clinically relevant anatomical dimensions of the proximal femur in Ghanaian adults for possible use in prosthesis manufacture for replacement surgery in indigenous Ghanaians. Method: Four dimensional variables of the proximal femur, namely; the head diameter, the neck diameter, the hip axis length, and the neck shaft angle were measured bilaterally using archived anteroposterior radiographs of the pelvis of 125 adult patients. There were 74 males and 51 females, aged 31 to 82 years who had accessed services at the Radiology Unit of Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital from April 2017 – May 2018. The obtained data were analyzed using SPSS version 20.0. Results: Females had significantly greater femoral head diameter than males, with means of 5.06 cm (females) and 4.84 cm (males), (P = 0.020) on the left side and 5.15 cm (females), and 4.92 cm (males), (P = 0.021) on the right side. Similarly, females’ femoral neck diameter was significantly wider than in males. Mean Neck diameter was 3.96 cm (females) and 3.74 cm (males), (P = 0.043) on the left side; and 4.00 cm (females) and 3.82 cm (males), (P = 0.018) on the right side. Right side values for both femoral head and neck diameters were significantly greater than left in both sexes. The mean femoral neck shaft angle did not show any statistical difference between the females and males with means of 131.43o (females), and 131.82o (males), (P – 0.790) for the left side and 132.22o (females) and 132.34o (males), (P – 0.457) for the right side. iii Conclusion: Significant sexual dimorphism and laterality were demonstrated in adult proximal femoral indices in the Ghanaian population. The indices were significantly greater in females than in males, and on the right side than the left side. This may reflect the greater hip dimensions in females than males and predominance of right-handedness in the Ghanaian population. It is proposed that the generated data should provide reference values for surgeons to advice manufacturers of hip prostheses for adult Ghanaians.