The Origins of Osteochondromas and Enchondromas

Abstract

The extraosseous blood supply to the femoral head was studied by microdissection of latex-injected vessels in 19 neonatal hips. The fetuses were of black African descent. Although the general pattern was similar to that described by previous investigators, in seven of the specimens the largest contribution to the blood supply of the femoral head was from the inferior gluteal artery. To the authors' knowledge, this has not been noted before, but other studies generally have used techniques that would not demonstrate this source. This pattern may represent a genetic variation in the blood supply to the hip, a theory that has been presented to account for differences among races in the incidence of some vascular diseases of the hip joint, e.g., Perthes' disease.