The morphometry, localization, and shape types of the fovea capitis femoris, and their relationship with the femoral head parameters.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the morphometric properties of the fovea capitis femoris (FCF) and its localization on the femoral head, the shape types, and the relationship with the femoral head parameters. This study was performed on 146 dry femora. The morphological and morphometric properties were evaluated on dry bones and digital images of these bones. Some of the FCF and femoral head parameters were measured with a caliper on dry bones while others were measured using ImageJ software on digital images. The most common localization type was the Type 2 localization and the shape type was the oval type. The FCF sizes [except depth of the FCF (DFCF)] were found to be smaller in the Type 1 localization. The femoral neck shaft angle (NSA) was found to be greater in the triangular type than the round (or circular) type on the left side and in all cases. The vertical diameter of the femoral head (FHD-V), the anteroposterior diameter of the femoral head (FHD-AP), and the area of the femoral head (AREAHOF) values were greater in the triangular types than in the oval types in all cases. There was no relationship between the localization types and the shape types of the FCF. Results showed that the morphometric properties, localization, and shape types of the FCF were related to some femoral head parameters. It is thought that our findings contributed to orthopedic and radiological applications and anthropological sciences.