Digital measurement and clinical significance of proximal femur in the elderly of Chinese population

Abstract Objective This study aimed to measure the parameters of the proximal femur in the elderly of Chinese population and understand the influence of age and gender so as to provide guidance for the design and improvement of prosthesis for total hip arthroplasty. Methods A total of 236 patients who underwent CT angiography of lower limbs in Inner Mongolia, China were randomly selected. They were divided into 4 groups according to age: <60 (group A - control), 60–69 (group B), 70–79 (group C), and > 80 years (group D). Four anatomical parameters, including femoral head diameter (FHD), femoral neck-shaft angle (FNSA), femoral offset (FO), femoral neck anteversion (FNA), were measured by Mimics 21.0. Comparisons were made between age groups of the same gender and between genders in the same age group to analyze the correlation of the 4 parameters of proximal femur with age and gender. In addition, the results of this study were compared with previous studies. Results There were no significant differences in FHD and FO between age groups, indicating no correlation with age. FNSA and FNA were no significantly different between group C and group D in the same gender, whereas there were significant difference between other age groups and were negatively correlated with age. There were significant differences in FHD and FO between genders in the same age group, with the males being larger than the females. FNSA and FNA were no significant differences between genders in the same age group. Conclusions FNSA and FNA decrease with age. FHD and FO were larger in males than in females in all age groups. Age and gender should be considered in the design of prosthesis.