Three-Dimensional Analysis of the Curvature of the Femoral Canal in 426 Chinese Femurs

Xiu-Yun Su,Li-Cheng Zhang,Li-Hai Zhang,Zhe Zhao,Jing-Xin Zhao,Pei-Fu Tang,An-Hua Long

doi:10.1155/2015/318391

Abstract

Purpose. The human femur has long been considered to have an anatomical anterior curvature in the sagittal plane. We established a new method to evaluate the femoral curvature in three-dimensional (3D) space and reveal its influencing factors in Chinese population. Methods. 3D models of 426 femurs and the medullary canal were constructed using Mimics software. We standardized the positions of all femurs using 3ds Max software. After measuring the anatomical parameters, including the radius of femoral curvature (RFC) and banking angle, of the femurs using the established femur-specific coordinate system, we analyzed and determined the relationships between the anatomical parameters of the femur and the general characteristics of the population. Results. Pearson's correlation analyses showed that there were positive correlations between the RFC and height (r = 0.339, p < 0.001) and the femoral length and RFC (r = 0.369, p < 0.001) and a negative correlation between the femoral length and banking angle (r = −0.223, p < 0.001). Stepwise linear regression analyses showed that the most relevant factors for the RFC and banking angle were the femoral length and gender, respectively. Conclusions. This study concluded that the banking angle of the femur was significantly larger in female than in male.

Highlights

The anterior curvature has been regarded as an important anatomical characteristic of the femur and has been extensively studied by anthropologists [1,2,3,4]
The traditional measurement method uses caliper to measure the bone on the osteometric board [1, 2, 14], the most common measurement methods used by medical researchers are based on lateral radiographs or images of the femur
For any implant to be located in the canal of the femur, it is vitally important that an in-depth understanding of the canal is obtained; the radius of femoral curvature (RFC) calculated based on the anatomy of the medullary canal might be more informative to clinical strategies

Summary

Introduction

The anterior curvature has been regarded as an important anatomical characteristic of the femur and has been extensively studied by anthropologists [1,2,3,4]. IM nailing and TKA constitute effective treatments for proximal femur or femoral shaft fractures and knee osteoarthritis and have aided in the design of femoral implants by manufacturers [5, 6], a series of complications caused by mismatch between the curvatures of the femur and implant have been reported, including nail impingement against the anterior or lateral cortex [7, 8], the anterior cortex encroachment or penetration [9,10,11,12], and the anterior cortex fracture [13]. Some authors have calculated and measured the femoral curvature from the outer surfaces of the femurs [15, 16], while other researchers have calculated the curvature of the femoral medullary canal based on lateral radiographs [13, 17]. With the rapid development of computer-aided design (CAD) software and its applications in the digital medical imaging process, some authors have simulated or reconstructed lateral radiographs or images using computed tomography- (CT-) derived three-dimensional (3D) femoral

Methods

Results

Conclusion