Morphological Variations of Distal End of Femur: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: Apart from intercondylar notch and trochlear groove, the intercondylar line also contributes to knee joint instability. Knowledge of morphological variations of these anatomical landmarks can help in diagnosis as well as planning the treatment. As of now, very limited data is available on morphological variations of trochlear groove and intercondylar line. Aim: To find out normal morphological patterns of shapes of intercondylar notch, depth of trochlear groove and intercondylar line and also to finding out the prevalence of different patterns. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 68 dried human femurs were examined grossly for five months (December 2020 to April 2021) by naked eye from the collection of Anatomy Department, Dr. ND Desai Faculty of Medical Science and Research Gujarat, India, for the shape of intercondylar notch, depth of trochlear groove and intercondylar line. All morphological patterns were tabulated and prevalence of each was calculated using excel worksheet. Results: Morphological patterns noted in shapes of intercondylar notch were A-shaped (35.29%), inverted V-shaped (5.88%), M-shaped (2.94%) and inverted U-shaped (55.88%) with highest prevalence of inverted U shape. Three forms of trochlear groove noted were as follows: shallow (29.41%), intermediate (58.82%) and deep (11.76%) with highest prevalence being intermediate type. Intercondylar line was found in straight (36.76%), oblique (50%) and convex (13.23%) forms with highest prevalence of oblique form. Conclusion: The results of the study show that there are considerable variations in the morphology of distal end of femur. Knowledge of these morphological variations may help in making knee prosthesis, diagnosis of osteoarthritis and cruciate ligament surgeries.