OTA 2012 Posters

Scientific Poster #36 Hip/Femur OTA-2012

Femoral Version of the General Population: Does “Normal” Vary by Gender or Ethnicity?

John D. Koerner, MD1; Neeraj M. Patel, MBS1; Richard S. Yoon, MD2;
Michael S. Sirkin, MD1; Mark C. Reilly, MD1; Frank A. Liporace, MD1;
1UMDNJ–New Jersey Medical School, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery,
Newark, New Jersey, USA;
2NYU–Hospital for Joint Diseases, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery,
New York, New York, USA

Purpose: Baseline femoral version varies between patients and has significant implications for intramedullary (IM) nailing of femoral fractures. Ethnicity and gender may play a role in such variability, but there are little data studying these factors, specifically within the African-American and Hispanic populations. The purpose of this study was to compare various gender and ethnic groups to characterize differences in baseline version and rates of retroversion.

Methods: Between 2000 and 2009, 417 consecutive patients with femur fractures were treated with an IM nail at a Level I trauma and tertiary referral center. Of these, 328 with CT scanogram of the normal, uninjured contralateral femur were included in this study. Patients with prior injury or deformity were excluded.

Results: The mean alignment for all patients was 8.84° (SD, 9.66°) of anteversion. There were no statistically significant differences in mean version between African-American, Caucasian, and Hispanic patients for males or females. While there were also no significant differences in rates of retroversion between ethnicities, it was found to be common in Caucasian males (21.4%), African-American males (15.1%), and all groups of females (>14.3%). Furthermore, nearly 6% of both African-American males and females exhibited greater than 10° of retroversion.

Conclusion: While there may not be a significant difference in average femoral version between ethnic and gender groups, retroversion is relatively common, and retroversion greater than 10° was observed in nearly 6% of the African-American population. This may have important implications in proper alignment restoration and successful clinical outcomes following IM nailing of femur fractures.

• The FDA has not cleared this drug and/or medical device for the use described in this presentation   (i.e., the drug or medical device is being discussed for an “off label” use).  ◆FDA information not available at time of printing. Δ OTA Grant.