Publication:

Evaluation of femoral neck shaft angle on plain radiographs and its clinical implications

Background The femoral neck-shaft angle is the measurement of the angle formed between the oblique oriented neck with the vertical shaft and is an important anatomic measurement for the evaluation of biomechanics of hip. The neck shaft angle is important in surgeries that involve the neck of femur, Intertrochanteric fractures, slipped capital femoral epiphysis, and developmental dysplasia of hip. Different variation of neck shaft angle has been seen in different literature and all the orthopedic implants are designed according to the values of the western literature which is different from the Indian subcontinent.

Methods Pelvic radiographs of patients who presented to Accident and emergency care or the outpatient department were used in the study 110 patients radiographs were assessed in the study. There were 55 males and 55 females in our study. The mean age for males was 46.5 years and that for females was 43.2 years. The pelvis radiographs were studied for neck shaft angle .The measurements were performed bilaterally on the digital screen using the PACS (picture archiving and communication system) with handheld 360 degree goniometer.

Results The mean neck shaft angle in our study was129.26 degree for males and 126.62 degree for females .The overall mean neck shaft angle in 110 radiographs was 128.60 degree.

Conclusions We conclude that consideration of neck shaft angles in orthopedics surgery and designing of implant can give more angle options for the surgeons which can improve the overall prognosis of the patient.