MORPHOMETRIC STUDY OF PROXIMAL FEMUR AND ITS CORRELATION WITH BONE MINERAL DENSITY. A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Objective: Proximal femoral morphometries such as hip axis length (HAL), femoral neck (FN) axis length (FNAL), and FN shaft angle (FNSA) are important parameters for prediction of fracture risk. These parameters are affected by factors such as body habitus, age, sex, race, bone mineral density (BMD), and body mass index. Hence, the present study was designed to evaluate the relationship between proximal femoral morphometry and BMD.Methods: We conducted an observational cross-sectional study in 168 patients. The measurements of radiological parameters such as HAL, FNAL, and FNSA were taken using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scan. FN-BMD was measured using LUNAR XR scanner and expressed as gm/cm². The correlation between proximal femoral morphometry and FN-BMD has been studied using Karl Pearson correlation coefficient (r).Results: The mean age, height, weight, HAL, FNAL, FNSA, and FN-BMD of the study population were found to be 58.72 years, 160.15 cm, 64.38 kg, 104.14 mm, 103.51 mm, 128.51°, and 0.761 g/cm², respectively. FN-BMD had a negative correlation with HAL (r=−0.791), FNAL (r=−0.734), and FNSA (r=−0.713) where p=0.000.Conclusion: There is a significant correlation between FN-BMD and proximal femoral morphometry. This observation will be helpful in exploration of its clinical significance in proximal femoral fracture.