Authors : Prerana Aggarwal, Rajarshi Roy, Shyamalendu Medda
DOI : 10.18231/j.ijcap.2022.009
Volume : 9
Issue : 1
Year : 2022
Page No : 35-41
Background: Morphology and morphometry of nutrient foramen of bones vary from country to country and from place to place.
Objective: Objective was to study the number, position, location, directions, distance of nutrient foramen from the proximal end of femur, tibia and fibula in eastern Indian region.
Materials and Methods: In a descriptive study, 393 bilateral lower limb long bones (138 femur, 132 tibia & 123 fibulae) were studied.
Results: Total nutrient foramen calculated; 178 in femur, 137 in tibia, 121 in fibula. Most had single foramen; femur (66%), tibia (96%) and fibula (94%). Number of foramina ranged from 0-3 in femur, 1-2 in tibia and 0-2 in fibula. Foramina were present mainly on the posterior surface of the bones [linea aspera in femur (96), below soleal line and lateral to the vertical line in tibia (90) and peroneal crest in fibula (74)]. The mean length, mean distance of nutrient foramen from the proximal end of the bones measured. Most foramina found on the middle third, with foraminal index ranging from 33% to 66%; though on tibia it’s not a common finding. The 't' test value of foraminal index was significant for tibia. Mean foraminal index was measured for femur 42.28%, tibia 35.91%, fibula 41.54%.
Conclusion: The knowledge of anatomical variations of nutrient foramen is very important as preservation of vascularization of long bones is essential in fracture repair, tumor resection, bone grafting.
Keywords: Femur, Fibula, Foraminal index, Nutrient foramen, Tibia.