Incidence of the third head of biceps brachii in western Indian population.

Backgrond: Biceps brachii is muscle of the flexure compartment of the arm. Anatomic variation of the biceps brachii muscle is one of the most variations in upper limb. The most common variation is a third head, but four, five or even seven heads have been reported. This variation may present as a group of accessory fascicles arising from the coracoids process, Pectoralis major tendon, proximal head of the humerus, articular capsule of the humerus or from humerus itself. Aim: to report the occurrence of the third head of biceps brachii in a sample Indian population along the western region of India, and to compare with other racial groups from previous study. Method: A prospective evaluation was conducted on cadavers at Govt. Medical College, Surat in Gujarat. The upper limbs of 32 cadavers were dissected and observed for variation in the origin and insertion of the biceps brachii muscle bilaterally. Result: A third head for the biceps brachii muscle were found in six arms. The variations were bilaterally. The short & long head were normal however third head was humeral origin and also arose from pectoralis major tendon and inserted into the conjoined tendon of the biceps brachii muscle as usual. The variant was present in three males (9.37%, n=32). Conclusion: Awareness of incidence of this variation is necessary to avoid complication during pre-operative procedure or surgeries in the upper limb.

Study of angle of femoral torsion in western region of India.

Background: The femur is thighbone. The angle of femoral torsion is the angle obtaining between the transverse axes of the neck and head that of the lower end of the bone. In the adult, the angle measures about 12 to 15 degrees, but it is considerably greater in the fetus and at birth averages 40 degrees. In postnatal development a reduction of the FNA angle usually occurs during growth. Aim: to evaluate femoral torsion value on dried femora and to find the difference between Japanese, Caucasian and Indian femoral torsion. Method: The present study was carried out on 200 dry normal adult human femora. The bones studied were free of any pathological condition. The male bones were 117 and 83 were female femora out of 200 dried femora. Out of 111 were left and 89 were right femora. The gender of each specimen was determined by the recognized established practice. The angle of anteversion as measured by placing the femur on the osteometric board, the horizontal surface represents the retrocondylar axis and the plane of reference against which the anteversion is measured with the help of the axis of head and neck of the femur. Results: The average anteversion is 16.1 and 15.65 on the right and left sides respectively in male, 18.17 and 17.95 on the right and left sides respectively in female. Statistical analysis using ‘z’ test revealed significant (p<0.05), greater average anteversion in female bones and right-left variations, being greater on the right side. Conclusion: The objective measurement of this angle is of paramount importance in orthopedic surgery for total replacement to attain a normal activity of the replaced joint.

The sex determination by posterior border of adult human hip bone.

The sex determination of individual is greatly useful in Anatomy, Archeology & Forensic departments. The hip bone is most reliable bone to determine the sex of individual. A biometrical study of posterior border of 100 adult human hip bones has been done. With the use of osteometric board & triflanged stainless steel caliper, various parameters were measure. Various variables of posterior border of hip bone were calculated by using range, mean, S.D. & P value. In all parameter the arch PB (arch of posterior border), the total angle of greater sciatic notch & the posterior angle of greater sciatic notch gives statistically significant differences between the means related to sex. Above three parameters were highly significant to determine the sex by posterior border of hip bone. The mean value of the arch PB of male was high than female. The mean value of posterior angle of greater sciatic notch was 2.5 times higher in female. We had also measure demarking point (DP) for above three variables. The demarking point gives 99.75% accurate data which were measure by adding & subtracting 3xS.D.from the means. In present study the demarking point for arch PB was >143mm in male & <126mm in female, total angle of greater sciatic notch was <460 in male & >860 in female & posterior angle of greater sciatic notch <110 in male & >250 in female. In medicolegal cases where 100% accuracy is required, the use of demarking point is preferable. This study is useful for carrying out medico legal examination of bones, cephalopelvic proportions in obstetric cases, for academic studies in Anatomy & for anthropological examination of skeleton, radiological study of pelvis & for archaeological examination of skeleton.