The Relationship between the Variation of the femoral neckshaft angle according to Age and the Fracture of the Hip

Jahng, Jun Seop; Moon, Seong Hwan; Che, Jin Ho

Abstract

PURPOSE: Femur neck-shaft angles were obtained from plain radiographs of the pelvis and their changes according to age were assessed along with their correlations to hip fracture incidence.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Forty-four patients who have received surgical treatments for femur neck or intertrochanteric fractures and 171 patients who performed bone densitometry at out patient clinic without any history of hip fractures were included in the study. All patients were older than 50 years. Standard value of 0.725 g/cm2 w a s used to separate the osteoporosis and non-osteoporosis groups. Femur neck-shaft angle was measured from standardized radiograph.
RESULTS
In the non-osteoporosis group, varization of femur neck-shaft angle was observed as age increased. No significant difference of the neck-shaft angle was proven between osteoporosis and non-osteoporosis group, and no correlation existed between the femoral neck bone mineral density and neck-shaft angle. Furthermore, fracture group and no fracture group showed no significant difference in neck-shaft angle.
CONCLUSION
The decrease in the neck-shaft angle with age increments has no effects on incidence of hip fracuture and factor most closely associated with fractures is bone mineral density.