ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To construct digitized three-dimensional models of the sacrum of women of Uygur and Han nationalities in Xinjiang and assess their value in anatomical studies.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Ninety Uygur women and 90 Han women of child-bearing age in Xinjiang were recruited. Digitized three-dimensional reconstruction was used to construct the sacrum models for morphological study and measurement of the physiological indices.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The sacral forms of Han women were consistent with the standard anatomical descriptions. Of the Uygur women, 57 (63.3%) showed a standard type of the sacrum, 6 (6.7%) had 4 pairs of sacral foramens, 9 (10%) had 5 pairs of sacral foramens, and 18 (20%) had sacrococcygeal joint abnormalities. There were significant differences in sacral morphologies between the two nationalities (P<0.05). The depths of the sacrum foramen and sacral hiatus were significantly greater in Uyghur women than in Han women (P<0.05). Only a minor proportion of the cases had nonstandard sacral types, found only in Uygur women.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Uygur and Han women of child-bearing age in Xinjiang have morphological and anatomical differences of the sacrum, which should be considered in clinical practice.</p>