Defining a reference range of acetabular inclination and center-edge angle of the hip in asymptomatic individuals

• Published in: Skeletal radiology 2011-11, Vol.40 (11), p.1427-1434
• Main Authors: Fowkes, Lucy A., Petridou, Elia, Zagorski, Christopher, Karuppiah, Amanjot, Toms, Andoni P.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acetabulum - anatomy & histology; Acetabulum - diagnostic imaging; Adult; Biological and medical sciences; Female; Hip Joint - anatomy & histology; Hip Joint - diagnostic imaging; Humans; Imaging; Implants, Artificial; Investigative techniques, diagnostic techniques (general aspects); Male; Medical research; Medical sciences; Medicine & Public Health; Medicine, Experimental; Nuclear Medicine; Orthopedics; Osteoarticular system. Muscles; Pathology; Prosthesis; Radiodiagnosis. Nmr imagery. Nmr spectrometry; Radiology; Reference Values; Scientific Article; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0364-2348; 1432-2161
• DOI: 10.1007/s00256-011-1109-3

Purpose Acetabular morphology is an important predictor of the severity of osteoarthrosis and survival of hip prostheses but there is limited data on the normal range of acetabular measurements on plain radiographs. The aim of this project was to determine the statistically normal ranges of acetabular inclination (AI) and center-edge angle (CEA). Method One hundred coronal CT localizers (50 men and 50 women aged 20–30 years) were included in this study. All the patients underwent CT examination for thoracic or intra-abdominal indications. Patients with pelvic disease, fractures, history of serious trauma, or previous pelvic surgery were excluded. One pair of independent observers measured the AI and pelvic tilt (PT), and a further pair measured the center-edge angle (CEA), using electronic calipers on a high-resolution PACS workstation. Results AI and CEA measurements were obtained for 200 hips. There was very good intra-class correlation between the observers ( r  = 0.7–0.8). The mean AI was 38.8° (2SD 32.1–45.5°). That in men was 38.0° (2 SD 31.8–44.1°) and 39.6° (2 SD 32.7–46.8°) in women, which was statistically significantly different ( p