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Prevalence and distribution of sesamoid bones of the hand in Omani subjects: a radiological study

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Abstract

Sesamoid bones show considerable variations in their occurrence among various ethnicities. This study aims to evaluate the prevalence and distribution patterns of the sesamoid bones of the hands among Omani patients who were referred for radiological investigations. The influence of gender and different age groups on the occurrence of sesamoid bones of the hand was determined using the Chi-square test. Spearman’s rank correlation was used to determine the coexistence of sesamoid bones at the metacarpophalangeal joints. A total of 541 hand radiographs were reviewed. A high prevalence of sesamoid bones at the fifth metacarpophalangeal joint and the interphalangeal joint of the thumb was noted with a frequency of 64% and 49.7%, respectively. There were ten different patterns of sesamoid bones detected, the most common of which was the presence of sesamoid bones at the first and fifth metacarpophalangeal joints found in 32.9% of the radiographs. A statistically significant gender difference was observed at the interphalangeal joint of the thumb (p = 0.025) and fifth metacarpophalangeal joint (p = 0.027) with a female dominance. A significant association between the age and prevalence of sesamoid bones was noted at the fifth metacarpophalangeal joint (p = 0.03). The prevalence of the sesamoid bones of the hand in Omani subjects seems to differ from other Middle Eastern populations, particularly at the fifth metacarpophalangeal joint and the interphalangeal joint of the thumb. In the meantime, the baseline data of our study can be helpful while treating the patients complaining of hand discomfort or pain.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Al-Khoudh 123, Muscat, Oman

    Hussein Al Khabori, Maitha Al Asmi & Firas Al Rashdi

  2. Department of Human and Clinical Anatomy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Al-Khoudh 123, PO Box 35, PC 123, Muscat, Oman

    Srinivasa Rao Sirasanagandla & Mohamed Al Mushaiqri

  3. Department of Radiology and Molecular Imaging, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Al-Khoudh 123, Muscat, Oman

    Humoud Al Dhuhli

  4. Department of Family Medicine and Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Al-Khoudh 123, Muscat, Oman

    Sanjay Jaju

Authors
  1. Hussein Al Khabori
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  2. Maitha Al Asmi
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  3. Srinivasa Rao Sirasanagandla
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  4. Firas Al Rashdi
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  5. Humoud Al Dhuhli
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  6. Sanjay Jaju
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  7. Mohamed Al Mushaiqri
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation and data collection were performed by HAK, MAA, FAR and SRS. Statistical analysis was performed by SJ. Validation of the data collection and results analysis were performed by SRS, HAD, SJ and MAM. Visualization and/or presentation of data was done by SRS, HAK, HAD and SJ. The first draft of the manuscript was written by SRS, HAK, MAA, MAM and FAR. All authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors have read and approved the final draft of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Srinivasa Rao Sirasanagandla.

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Al Khabori, H., Al Asmi, M., Sirasanagandla, S.R. et al. Prevalence and distribution of sesamoid bones of the hand in Omani subjects: a radiological study. Anat Sci Int 96, 79–86 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12565-020-00560-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12565-020-00560-0

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