Comparison of Femoral Geometry Among Cases with and without Hip Fractures

Hip fractures have high morbidity and mortality rate for the people as a complication of osteoporosis and is generally seen in old age. It is known that femoral geometric measurements are important in the assessment of hip fracture risks. This study aimed to examine the association between hip geometry and hip fracture in post-menopausal elderly females. In the present study, 232 hip X-rays were taken from women with no hip fractures (Group 1) and 29 post-menopausal women with hip fractures (Group 2) after a minor trauma. After standard anterior-posterior plain pelvic X-ray radiographs were obtained, various radiographic measurements were performed in all cases, including the hip axis length (HAL), femoral neck axis length (FAL), acetabular width (AW), femoral head width (HW), femoral neck width (FW), femoral shaft width (FSW), intertrochanteric width (TW), lateral and medial cortical thickness of the femoral shaft (LCT, SMCT), femoral neck cortical thickness (NMCT) and femoral neck-shaft angle (Q-angle). In group 1, the mean age, weight and height were 62.5 +/-7.4 years, 70.8 +/-12.5 kg, and 157.5 +/-6.7 cm, respectively. In group 2, these values were 70.17 +/-6.8 years, 64.7 +/-11.5 kg, and 158.3 +/-2.7 cm, respectively. There were no statistically significant differences in the measurements of HAL, FAL, AW and HW between the two groups. In group 2, the mean FW value was significantly higher than in group 1 (p= 0.01). The mean values for FSW, TW, NMCT, SMCT, LCT were statistically lower in group 2 than those in group 1 (p= 0.01, p=0.038, p=0.001, p< 0.001, p< 0.001, respectively). Q-angle was also significantly higher in cases with hip fracture than in cases with no hip fracture (p=0.01). The values of FW, FSW, TW, NMCT, SMCT, LCT and Q-angle seem to be important parameters in the evaluation of hip fracture risks. However, further studies are needed to clarify this conclusion.

The Diagnostic Value of Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Subacromial Impingement Syndrome

The aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic ability of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in subacromial impingement syndrome (SIS), using a physiological standard of reference. MRI of the rotator cuff (RC) and subacromial injection test (SIT), a reference standard for SIS diagnosis, were performed in 125 painful shoulders. MRI diagnostic accuracies were determined using a 2 x 2 table and the percentage values of SIS diagnosis in patients with the three Zlatkin MRI stages were determined. Shoulder function was evaluated using the Constant Scale, and results were compared for stages. The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive and negative predictive values of MRI for SIS diagnosis were 98.85%, 36.84%, 80%, 78.18% and 93.33% respectively. Of the 32 patients with Zlatkin stage 1 changes in MRI, 20 (62%) had SIT approved SIS diagnosis, while 47 (79%) of the 59 patients with Zlatkin 2 and all of the 19 (100%) patients with Zlatkin 3 changes were diagnosed with SIS by SIT. Mean Constant scores were 78.04 +/- 18.3, 65.0 +/- 19.9 and 54.52 +/- 20.7 in patients with Zlatkin stages 1, 2 and 3, respectively (p < 0.05). The MRI of RC did not prove to be an excellent tool for SIT based SIS diagnosis, with its low specificity. However, the technique can give important clues, as its sensitivity and negative predictive values are high.