Is Cam Morphology Found in Ancient and Medieval Populations in Addition to Modern Populations?

BACKGROUND: Cam morphology is thought to originate near puberty and reflects a response of the peripheral aspect of the proximal femoral physis to increased local load. Participation in particular sports activities has been associated with cam morphology in contemporary patient populations; however, it is unclear whether cam is a recent phenomenon. There are limited data regarding the frequency of its occurrence and the general deviations in femoral anatomy in different historical populations. Such information may help to understand the possible influence of lifestyle and diet on cam morphology. QUESTIONS/PURPOSES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate femoral morphology in three historical populations. We asked: (1) Was cam morphology present in the three study populations, did those populations differ, and were there differences between sexes? (2) Were there differences in neck-shaft angle, version, or inclination between and among the examined populations? METHODS: We examined 204 adult femurs from the Neolithic population from Iran (n = 37, 3000 BC to 1631 BC), medieval population from Poland (n = 135, 10th to 13th centuries), and contemporary Australian aborigines (n = 32, early 20th century), provided by the Open Research Scan Archive, Museum of the First Piasts at Lednica and the University of Wroclaw, respectively. All three human populations represent different chronologic periods and lifestyles. All bones were scanned using CT and then measured on their three-dimensional (3-D) reconstructions in selected planes. Cam impingement was defined as an alpha angle > 55° measured on the inclination view. To evaluate the differences in anatomy between populations, we measured the true neck-shaft angle on the true AP view, apparent neck-shaft angle on the apparent AP view, the version angle on the version view, and the inclination angle on the inclination view. The prevalence of cam morphology and other anatomic parameters were compared among groups using chi-square test, one-way ANOVA with post hoc Tukey test, and paired t-test. RESULTS: Cam morphology was present in 5% of the Neolithic population from Iran, in 7% of the medieval population from Poland, and 3% of the contemporary Australian aborigine femurs (OR Neolithic population from Iran/the medieval population from Poland 0.7 [95% CI 0.2 to 3.4]; p = 0.67; OR Neolithic population from Iran/contemporary Australian aborigines 1.8 [95% CI 0.2 to 20.5]; p = 0.65; OR the medieval population from Poland/contemporary Australian aborigines 2.5 [95% CI 0.3 to 20.1]; p = 0.40). There were differences in the presence of cam morphology between the sexes in the medieval population from Poland with both femurs (females: 1% [1 of 76]; males: 15% [9 of 59]; p = 0.002). There was a difference in true neck-shaft angle between the Neolithic population from Iran (121° ± 6°) and contemporary Australian aborigines (131° ± 5°; mean difference 10° [95% CI 7° to 13°]; p < 0.001) and between the medieval population from Poland (124° ± 5°) and the contemporary Australian aborigines (mean difference 7° [95% CI 5° to 9°]; p < 0.001). Apparent neck-shaft angle differed between the Neolithic population from Iran (126° ± 6°) and the contemporary Australian aborigines (134° ± 5°; mean difference 8° [95% CI 6° to 11°]; p < 0.001), and between the medieval population from Poland (126° ± 6°) and the contemporary Australian aborigines (mean difference 9° [95% CI 7° to 11°]; p < 0.001). Moreover, we observed a difference in the version angle between the Neolithic population from Iran (19° ± 7°) and the medieval population from Poland (12° ± 9°; mean difference 7° [95% CI 4° to 10°]; p < 0.001] and in the inclination angle between aforementioned groups (18° ± 7° versus 11° ± 8°; mean difference 7° [95% CI 5° to 10°]; p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: This study found that cam morphology existed in historical populations at rates comparable with a contemporary population. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The presence of cam morphology in historical populations suggests that cam morphology can develop outside of the intense sports activity seen in modern adolescents. Further study will help elucidate the etiology of cam morphology, which may be useful in the development of preventive strategies.

Tibia vara in Asians: Myth or fact? Verification with three-dimensional computed tomography.

BACKGROUND: There is a common perception among surgeons that Asian tibiae are significantly more varus compared to non-Asians, contributed both by an acute medial tibial proximal angle (MPTA) and diaphyseal bowing. Insight into the normative morphology of the tibia allows generation of knowledge towards disease processes and subsequently planning for corrective surgeries. METHODS: Computed tomography (CT) scans of 100 normal adult knees, aged 18 years and above, were analysed using a 3-dimensional (3D) analysis software. All tibiae were first aligned to a standard frame of reference and then rotationally aligned to the tibial centroid axis (TCAx) and the transmalleolar axis (tmAx). MPTA was measured from best-fit planes on the surface of the proximal tibia for each rotational alignment. Diaphyseal bowing was assessed by dividing the shaft to three equal portions and establishing the angle between the proximal and distal segments. RESULTS: The mean MPTA was 87.0° ± 2.2° (mean ± SD) when rotationally aligned to TCAx and 91.6° ± 2.7° when aligned to tmAx. The mean diaphyseal bowing was 0.1° ± 1.9° varus when rotationally aligned to TCAx and 0.3° ± 1.6° valgus when aligned to tmAx. The mean difference when the MPTA was measured with two different rotational alignments (TCAx and tmAx) was 4.6° ± 2.3°. No statistically significant differences were observed between males and females. Post hoc tests revealed statistically significant difference in MPTA between different ethnic sub-groups. CONCLUSION: The morphology of the proximal tibiae in the disease-free Asian knee is inherently varus but not more so than other reported populations. The varus profile is contributed by the MPTA, with negligible diaphyseal bowing. These implications are relevant to surgical planning and prosthesis design.

Computed tomography-based custom-made stem for dysplastic hips in Japanese patients.

We investigated 55 hips of 53 patients with dysplastic hips. Individual computed tomography data were used in the manufacturing of cementless custom-made stems made of Ti-6Al-4V. The proximal one third was coated using porous coating covered with hydroxyapatite coating. The average age at surgery was 60 years and the average follow-up was 7 years. Five patients (9%) complained of postoperative thigh pain. According to Engh's radiologic classification system, there was bone-ingrown fixation in all hips. The cortical index and canal flare index were lower, and stem diameter was greater in the 11 hips (20%) with severe stress shielding than in the remaining 44 hips. Although the results obtained with this custom-made stem system for dysplastic hips were excellent, stress shielding is still an issue.

Acetabular dysplasia in the Sami population: a population study among Sami in north Norway.

OBJECTIVES: The overall aim of this study was to evaluate the acetabular coverage of the femoral head as measured by the centre-edge (CE) angle of Wiberg and to evaluate any association between low back pain and hip dysplasia in a Sami-dominated area (the municipalities of Karasjok and Kautokeino) in north Norway. STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional population-based study, which included questionnaires and a radiographic examination of the hips. METHODS: A total of 1723 individuals were invited to participate in a general health survey. Of these, 78.2% attended the screening and filled out a questionnaire that included questions about ethnicity and symptoms of back problems; 836 participants returned the questionnaire. Back problems were reported by 210 participants, the rest had no complaints. All 210 participants with back problems and a random sample of 206 with no back pain were invited for a radiographic examination, 75% and 76%, respectively, showed up for the examination. RESULTS: The centre-edge (CE) angle of Wiberg was found to be 28 (+/-7) and 27 (+/-7) degrees for the left and right hip, respectively. Our results showed that 17% of the Sami had definite dysplasia, 21% had light dysplasia and 62% had normal hip joints. Thus, 38% of the Sami had more or less dysplastic hips. The oldest participants had a significantly smaller CE-angle than the younger ones. However, no associations were found between acetabular dysplasia and back complaints. CONCLUSIONS: A high prevalence of hip dysplasia was found in this Sami-dominant area. No significant association could be found between low back pain and dysplasia.

Análise comparativa do ângulo CE de Wiberg nos quadris de indivíduos brasileiros e italianos / Comparative analysis of the CE in the hips of Brazilian and Italian Subjects

Os autores realizaram o estudo do ângulo CE de Wiberg (1939) entre duas populaçöes distintas etnicamente. Foram realizadas mensuraçöes do CEA nos quadris de 101 indivíduos italianos comparando-se os valores obtidos com os de 1.096 indivíduos brasileiros. O objetivo deste trabalho foi o de estabelecer as diferenças em relaçäo à configuraçäo anatômica da cobertura acetabular entre os quadris dos dois grupos, utilizando para isto testes estatísticos específicos. O grupo de indivíduos brasileiros mostrou-se homogêneo em relaçäo ao ângulo CE, levando-se em conta que a miscigenaçäo caracteriza nossa populaçäo. O autor verificou que, do ponto de vista estatístico, o ângulo médio dos brasileiros foi significantemente maior do que o dos italianos em relaçäo à cobertura acetabular. Tal achado estaria correlacionado com melhor configuraçÒo anatômica e biomecânica dos quadris na populaçäo brasileira e justificaria com isso a menor incidência da displasia congênita do quadril (DCQ) em nosso meio.

Fibro-osseous lesions of the jaws.

In the first volume of the Journal of Oral Surgery, Dr G. Victor Boyko presented a case of osteofibroma of the mandible associated with leontiasis ossea of the skull (Boyko GV: J Oral Surg 1:100, 1943). The patient was a 32-year-old white woman who had complaints of right mandibular enlargement and a prominence of the right frontal and temporal areas of uncertain duration in August 1939. Mandibular radiographs showed an area of reduced radiodensity. Skull films showed a marked increase in density of the inferior part of the right temporal region and of the frontal bone, with evidence of both bone destruction and proliferation in the inferior frontal and orbital regions. A mandibular biopsy was reported as osteofibroma. The patient was kept under observation for 8 months after the biopsy, with little change in her condition. A course of deep x-ray therapy was then delivered to the mandibular lesion. She subsequently developed a pathologic fracture that was treated by maxillomandibular fixation. The fracture stabilized and at the last clinical examination, in June 1942, the patient had a union with good functional occlusion and was reported to be in good mental and physical condition.