Morphological and morphometric study of scaphoid bone in South Indian population

Abstract

Introduction: Scaphoid fractures are the most common of the carpal bone injuries. Scaphoid fractures heal slowly due to the limited blood circulation of the bone. To avoid malunion, the scaphoid fracture has to be recognized in time and treated either by immobilization or by surgical fixation. The present study was carried out to observe the morphological variations of scaphoid and measure its dimensions and also to observe the position and number of nutrient foramen in the scaphoid bone. Material and Methods: A total of 100 dried adult human scaphoid bones were studied from the Department of Anatomy, VMKV Medical College and Hospital, to identify the possible morphological variations. The morphometry of scaphoid was measured using vernier caliper. The number of foramina was observed using a magnifying lens. The shape of tubercle, dorsal sulcus, and foramina on the dorsal sulcus were also observed and noted. The morphometric parameters were compared by Student's t-test on both the sides. Results: Of the 100 scaphoid bones studied, the tubercles were present in all the bones. Most of the scaphoid tubercles were conical and some were pyramidal in shape. All the scaphoid had main dorsal sulcus (54 scaphoids) and 46 scaphoids had two dorsal sulci. All the scaphoids had more than three foramina on the dorsal sulcus. Discussion and Conclusions: The morphological and morphometric data obtained from the scaphoid bone were compared with the previous studies, and the data may help the orthopedicians and radiologists for surgical reduction with internal fixation and to follow-up the reunion of fractured scaphoid bones.