The anterior center edge angle: a study of 102 volunteers

• Published in: Joint, bone, spine : revue du rhumatisme Vol. 71; no. 3; pp. 221 - 223
• Main Authors: Milcan, Abtullah, Yıldız, Altan, Öztuna, Volkan, Eskandari, Metin Manouchehr, Şahin, Günşah, Kuyurtar, Fehmi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: France Elsevier SAS 01.05.2004
• Subjects: Acetabular dysplasia; Acetabulum - anatomy & histology; Acetabulum - diagnostic imaging; Adolescent; Adult; Aged; False profile view; Female; Femur Head - anatomy & histology; Femur Head - diagnostic imaging; Hip dysplasia; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Pelvis - anatomy & histology; Pelvis - diagnostic imaging; Prospective Studies; Radiography; Hip dysplasia; False profile view; Acetabular dysplasia
• ISSN: 1297-319X
• DOI: 10.1016/S1297-319X(03)00121-0

Objectives. – To measure the anterior center edge (VCE) angle that reflects anterior coverage of the femoral head. Patients and methods. – False profile views of both hips of 102 volunteers, 23 male and 79 female, were taken between October 2000 and October 2001. Radiographs with evidence of degenerative hip disease and those with poor image quality were excluded from the study. This left 181 radiographs. Results. – An orthopedic surgeon and a radiologist used a standard protractor to examine each of the 181 radiographs twice, at an interval of 24 h. The mean VCE angle was 49.27 ± 7.77° (range, 24.75–68.75), a value different from those found in previous studies. No significant intraobserver or interobserver differences were found. Conclusions. – Our findings may contribute to the determination of a new parameter for evaluating anterior femoral head covering. In patients with acetabular dysplasia and deficient anterior coverage, this parameter may prove useful for selecting patients for surgery, planning the procedure, and evaluating postoperative results.