Morphometric and Morphological Variations of the Acetabulum of Adult Dry Hip Bones

Background: The hip bone's lateral surface has a cup-shaped depression called the acetabulum. There are articular and non-articular components. The lunate surface is the articular portion that articulates with the femur's head to form the hip joint. The acetabular fossa, which contains a pad of fat, is the non-articular portion. The objective of this study was to measure the acetabulum's morphometric characteristics, including the width of the acetabular notch, transverse diameter (TD), and anteroposterior diameter (APD). to investigate the acetabulum's morphological characteristics, such as the lunate articular surfaces' ends and the acetabulum's anterior end. Material and Methods: The present observational study was conducted on 90 adult dry hip bones (45 right and 45 left) of unknown sex. Morphometric parameters such as anteroposterior diameter (APD), transverse diameter (TD), and width of the acetabular notch were measured using vernier calipers. Morphological characteristics were noted, such as the acetabulum's anterior boundary and the lunate articular surface's ends. Results: In the present study, the mean APD of the right and left acetabula were 47.08 ± 2.8 mm, 46.88 ± 3.8 mm, and the mean TD of the right and left acetabula were 46.42 ± 3.42 mm, 45.8 ± 3.3mm. The width of the acetabular notch in the right and left acetabula was 21.5 ± 3.8 mm and 20.5 ± 3.2 mm. The most frequent findings in this study are the acetabulum's curved anterior boundary and the lunate articular surface's conical anterior end. Conclusion: In the present study, the morphometric findings of the right acetabulum were slightly higher than those of the left. The anatomical knowledge of the acetabulum is essential for understanding the etio-pathogenesis of primary osteo- arthritis, and it also helps in early detection of disputed sex by forensic experts. Biomedical engineers will be better equipped to create appropriate prostheses if they have a complete understanding of the size of the femoral head and acetabulum in both sexes.

Keywords: Acetabulum, Width, Transverse Diameter, Antero-Posterior Diameter, Lunate Surface.