Anatomical study of the proximal femur in the fetus.
Two angles effectively describe the upper femur geometry: The neck shaft angle (NSA) and anteversion (AV). AV and NSA decrease from birth until they reach their adult values, but little work has focused on in-utero life. Our aim was to determine if and how AV and NSA change through the fetal life. Eighty-seven femurs from 44 formalin preserved fetuses were sampled to achieve a biometry. Correlation tests and linear regression showed that AV was highly correlated with age: AV increases during the second half of gestation. No conclusion can be given concerning NSA. It is speculated that these changes may be caused by mechanical stresses.
Jouve
Jean-Luc
JL
Anthropology Department, UMRC 6578 CNRS-Université de la Mediterranée, Timone Faculty of Medicine, Marseille, France. jjouve@ap-hm.fr
Glard
Yann
Y
Garron
Emmanuel
E
Piercecchi
Marie-Dominique
MD
Dutour
Olivier
O
Tardieu
Christine
C
Bollini
Gérard
G
D001699:Biometry; D002102:Cadaver; D004210:Dissection; D004628:Embryonic Structures / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D005260:Female; D005270:Femur Head / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000196:embryology*; D047109:Fetal Development / Q000502:physiology; D005333:Fetus / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D006621:Hip Joint / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D015588:Observer Variation; D012016:Reference Values; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013997:Time Factors