FEMORAL ANTEVERSION IN NORMAL ADULTS - ULTRASOUND MEASUREMENTS IN 50 MEN AND 50 WOMEN

The femoral anteversion (AV) angles were measured by ultrasound in a normal group of 100 adult subjects to find the normal range of anteversion, to determine the normal left/right difference, to assess the interobserver variation, and to find the correlation between AV angle and clinical hip rotation. All the ultrasound measurements were performed independently by 2 observers. The mean AV angle was 18-degrees in the women and 14-degrees in the men. The mean left/right difference in AV was 3.8-degrees, and the upper normal limit of side difference (mean + 2 SD) was 9.8-degrees. The mean (SD) interobserver variation was only 1.9-degrees (1.3-degrees). The correlations between AV angles and internal and external hip rotation were significant, but not very high (r = 0.49 and -0.49, respectively). We conclude that ultrasound is appropriate for measurement of femoral anteversion. Our results could be used as a basis when evaluating patients with clinically suspected rotational disorders of the femur.