Sex differences in reference values of hip acetabular measurements using computed tomography in Japanese adults and the effect of aging on the measurement parameters.

BACKGROUND: It is very important to understand the acetabular morphology of the normal hip joint to assist in diagnosis and surgical planning of hip disorders. The purpose of the present study was to obtain gender-based reference values for the acetabular measurements of a normal hip using computed tomography data and investigate the effect of aging on the measurement values. METHODS: We measured acetabular parameters (center-edge angle, Sharp angle, vertical center anterior angle, acetabular anteversion) on computed tomography corrected for changing the obliquity, rotation, and tilt of the pelvis. We performed measurements in 245 patients (490 joints; 120 men [240 joints] and 125 women [250 joints]). The mean age was 64.7 ± 14.3 (31-88) years for men and 63.2 ± 15.2 (30-88) years for women. RESULTS: In men and women, the mean center-edge angle was 31.8° ± 6.4° and 30.6° ± 6.5°, the mean Sharp angle was 38.6° ± 3.2° and 40.6° ± 3.8°, the mean vertical center anterior angle was 44.3° ± 7.9° and 40.0° ± 8.5°, and the mean acetabular anteversion angle was 14.3° ± 5.2° and 18.8° ± 5.4°, respectively. All differences were statistically significant. The center-edge angle increased with age in women; however, such an effect was not observed in men. The other measurements showed a similar trend, such as larger vertical center anterior angle and smaller Sharp and acetabular anteversion angles, with aging in both men and women. CONCLUSIONS: We used computed tomography data to quantitatively assess the coverage and shape of the acetabulum in adult Japanese subjects and obtain the estimated reference ranges by gender. The results also proved that the measurements changed with aging in both sexes. These facts must be taken into account during the diagnosis of hip disease and planning of surgery.