Henríquez-Lopes De Araújo, Ana; Gübelin Saravia, Karen & Henríquez Pino, Jorge

In the current literature there is little information regarding the fovea for ligament of head of femur. The aim of this study was to collect morphological and biometric data regarding the fovea for ligament of head of femur and recognize variations that could be useful in the various pathologies of the region. Forty six human femur bones belonging to the Department of Basic Sciences of the University of La Frontera, Chile were used. For data measurement, ad hoc material was used and the data were analyzed with the Excel program and the ImageJ and Image Pro Plus software. The average length of the femur bones was 43.8 ± 2.9 cm; the neck torsion angle was 23.0 ± 2.0°. In 100% of the samples, a fovea was observed in the posteroinferior quadrant of the head of femur. The average area of the fovea for ligament of head of femur was 1.51 ± 0.7 cm3. The perimeter was 4.72 ± 1.0 cm; The shape of the fovea was: 60.9% oval, 23.9% triangular and 15.2% circular, based on the formula derived from the cranial index, leaving the formula as minimum feret/maximum feret, with which the values greater than 0.8 were classified as circular and those less as oval. Knowing the location of the fovea for ligament of head of femur acquires medical implications, since a fovea in an abnormally high position, in radiological images, is an indicator of pelvic dysplasia. The importance of variations in the fovea for ligament of head of femur must be further investigated for a correct understanding of the pathologies that affect the femoral head.

KEYWORDS: Femur; Fovea for ligament of head of femur; Pelvic dysplasia.

HENRÍQUEZ LOPES DE ARAÚJO, A.; GÜBELIN SARAVIA, K. & HENRÍQUEZ PINO, J. Morphological and biometric analysis of the fóvea for ligament of head of femur. Int. J. Moprhol., 41(5):1570-1574, 2023.