title: Predicting the rotationally neutral state of the femur by comparing the shape of the contralateral lesser trochanter.
abstract: The rotationally neutral state of the femur was measured by comparing the shape of the contralateral lesser trochanter in 100 adults. Three observers predicted a position presumed to be neutral by comparing the shape of the neutrally positioned contralateral lesser trochanter previously recorded by C-arm image intensification. The mean (SD) angular discrepancy between the neutral point and the predicted angle was 3.4 degrees (+/- 2.4) without interobserver variation (P = .87). Seventy-seven percent indicated the value within 4 degrees, and none of the observations exceeded 15 degrees. These findings suggest the outline of the contralateral lesser trochanter may be a useful reference during surgical treatment of femoral fractures to minimize rotational deformity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan Medical College, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: K Y
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D005260:Female; D005269:Femur / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015588:Observer Variation; D019637:Orthopedic Procedures / Q000295:instrumentation*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012016:Reference Values; D012399:Rotation; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity