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Computational measurement of joint space width and structural parameters in normal hips

  • Orthopaedic Surgery
  • Published:
Archives of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Introduction

Joint space width (JSW) of hip joints on radiographs in normal population may vary by related factors, but previous investigations were insufficient due to limitations of sources of radiographs, inclusion of subjects with osteoarthritis, and manual measurement techniques. We investigated influential factors on JSW using semiautomatic computational software on pelvic radiographs in asymptomatic subjects without radiological osteoarthritic findings.

Methods

Global and local JSW at the medial, middle, and lateral compartments, and the hip structural parameters were measured in asymptomatic, normal 150 cases (300 hips), using a customized computational software.

Results

Reliability of measurement in global and local JSWs was high with intraobserver reproducibility (intraclass correlation coefficient) ranging from 0.957 to 0.993 and interobserver reproducibility ranging from 0.925 to 0.985. There were significant differences among three local JSWs, with the largest JSW at the lateral compartment. Global and medial local JSWs were significantly larger in the right hip, and global, medial and middle local JSWs were significantly smaller in women. Global and local JSWs were inversely correlated with CE angle and positively correlated with horizontal distance of the head center, but not correlated with body mass index in men and women. They were positively correlated with age and inversely correlated with vertical distance of the head center only in men.

Conclusions

There were interindividual variations of JSW in normal population, depending on sites of the weight-bearing area, side, gender, age, and hip structural parameters. For accurate diagnosis and assessment of hip osteoarthritis, consideration of those influential factors other than degenerative change is important.

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Acknowledgments

This study was funded by Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research, the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture of Japan, and from FUJIFILM Corporation in Japan.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedic Medical Engineering, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan

    Takashi Nishii & Nobuhiko Sugano

  2. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka, Japan

    Toshiyuki Shiomi, Takashi Sakai, Masaki Takao & Hideki Yoshikawa

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  1. Takashi Nishii
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  2. Toshiyuki Shiomi
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  3. Takashi Sakai
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  4. Masaki Takao
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  6. Nobuhiko Sugano
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Correspondence to Takashi Nishii.

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Nishii, T., Shiomi, T., Sakai, T. et al. Computational measurement of joint space width and structural parameters in normal hips. Arch Orthop Trauma Surg 132, 591–598 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00402-012-1463-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00402-012-1463-1

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