The calcaneal angles in the Turkish population

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the calcaneal angles on radiograms of individuals without a calcaneal fracture. We retrospectively analyzed a total of 308 digital records of lateral ankle or foot radiographs taken from 268 patients (106 males, 162 females; mean age 42 years; range 18-79 years) without a calcaneal fracture. On these radiographs, the reference lines were drawn with the use of an angle measurement software with a sensitivity of 1/100 mm and the Böhler (BA) and Gissane (GA) angles were measured. The distribution characteristics of the angles with respect to age, gender, and side of the body were analyzed and compared with those of previous studies. The mean BA was 33.8 + or - 4.8 degrees (range 20 degrees to 46 degrees) and the mean GA was 115.0 + or - 6.5 degrees (range 100 degrees to 133 degrees). There were no significant differences for both angles with respect to measurements obtained from the right and left sides (for BA, p=0.198; for GA, p=0.601) and from both sexes (for BA, p=0.177; for GA, p=0.412). The highest (35.2 degrees) and lowest (32.3 degrees) means of BA were seen in the age brackets of 41-50 and 61-83 years, respectively. The corresponding age brackets for GA were 21-30 and 51-60 years with 115.7 degrees and 114.4 degrees , respectively. There were no significant differences between the age groups for both angles (for BA, p=0.086; for GA, p=0.955). Of note, the mean BA was significantly higher than those reported in previous studies. There was no correlation between BA and GA (r=0.018; p=0.76), nor between the calcaneal angles and age (for BA, r=-0.092; p=0.11 and for GA, r=-0.070; p=0.22). The calcaneal angles show considerable variations in diverse ethnic groups and populations in terms of normal range, age, gender, and side. The ranges herein reported (20-46 degrees for BA, 100-133 degrees for GA) can be used as reference values for the Turkish population.