Esra Tekmen; Sinem Nur Sever; Mustafa Tolga Cirak; Murat Golpinar; Ibrahim Deniz Canbeyli & Begumhan Turhan

This study investigated the sex-based morphometric and morphological parameters of the fovea for ligament of head of femur (Fovea capitis ossis femoris) (FCF) and head of femur (Caput ossis femoris). Measurements from 72 dry femurs were obtained using calipers and ImageJ software (Version 1.53q) on digital images. Results showed that, except for the head of femur area (FHA) and the vertical diameter of the head of femur (FHD-V) (p>0.05), most parameters were similar across sexes. Males exhibited significantly higher values of FHD-V and FHA (p<0.05). In contrast, females had higher mean values for the area of the FCF (A-FCF), foramina number, and both the longitudinal (LL-FCF) and transverse (TL-FCF) lengths of the FCF, but these differences were not statistically significant (p>0.05). Overall, the findings indicate that while most parameters did not differ significantly between sexes, males had larger vertical diameters and areas of the head of femur, whereas females tended to show higher but non-significant values in FCF-related parameters. These results provide valuable insights into the anatomical variations of the FCF and head of femur, highlighting subtle sex differences with potential clinical and anatomical relevance.

KEY WORDS: Head of femur; Hip joint; Fovea for ligament of head of femur; Ligament of head of femur.

TEKMEN, E.; SEVER, S. N.; CIRAK, M. T.; GOLPINAR, M.; CANBEYLI, I. D. & TURHAN, B. Sex-Based morphometric and morphological insights into the head of femur and fovea for ligament of head of femur. Int. J. Morphol., 44(1):276-282, 2026.