CT Based Analysis of Acetabular Morphology in Northern Indian Population: A Retrospective Study

Indian J Orthop. 2020 Oct 20;55(3):606-613. doi: 10.1007/s43465-020-00267-4. eCollection 2021 Jun.

Abstract

Purpose: The acetabular morphology has shown to differ among different regions of the world. Multiplanar evaluation by computed tomography (CT) scan is the key to assess acetabular depth, version, and inclination at the same time which have been rarely explored before in the Indian population. We present an anthropometric study of the native acetabulum by CT based coronal, sagittal, and axial parameters in the Northern Indian population.

Methods: The acetabular anteversion (AA), acetabular angle of sharp (AAS), sagittal acetabular angle (SAA), lateral center edge angle (LCEA), acetabular depth (AD), acetabular horizontal offset (AHO), extrusion index (EI) and acetabular depth ratio (ADR) was measured in CT scans of 122 patients (244 hips) without any bony pathologies. LCEA < 20°, ADR < 250, AD < 9 mm, AAS > 43°, and EI ≥ 25% were taken as criteria for dysplastic acetabulum.

Results: There were 62 males and 60 females included in the study with a mean age of 63.8 ± 17.2 years (21-98 years). In this study, females were having significantly lower ADR (p = 0.002) and higher EI (p = 0.01) than males. The prevalence of dysplasia was 3.2% according to LCEA and 1.6% while combining all of the criteria.

Conclusion: There are prominent differences in acetabular depth in the Indian population compared with the population of Western countries or other parts of Asia. Females were shown to have shallower acetabulum than males. The comparative analysis of radiographic parameters obtained from our study with the data available on different country-based studies can help better understanding the acetabular morphology of Indian as well as the worldwide population.

Level of study: Retrospective cross-sectional study.

Keywords: Acetabular dysplasia; Acetabulum; Anthropometric study; CT scan; North India.