Ultrasound is an accurate method compared to radiography for diagnosing the presence of acute hip luxation in cadaver dogs and can identify the direction of luxation with variable reliability.

Acute hip luxation is a common musculoskeletal injury in dogs, with radiographs being the preferred imaging modality for confirming the diagnosis. In large animal and human medicine, ultrasound is often utilized for this purpose. The objectives of this three-part study were to utilize a canine cadaver model to establish ultrasonographic features of hip luxation and evaluate the accuracy and reliability for diagnosing hip luxation with ultrasound. For the first prospective, exploratory study, a cadaver model was developed that allowed manual luxation and subsequent ultrasonography of the hip joint while in four directions of luxation. For the second prospective, anatomic study, a description of the ultrasonographic features for each direction of luxation was created. For the third prospective diagnostic accuracy, observer agreement study, 16 residency-trained and intern veterinarians without prior experience in this technique performed randomized, repeated ultrasound exams on cadaver hips assigned as normal or luxated (equally distributed between the 4 directions). A total of 1140 hip ultrasounds were performed with good accuracy (median, 90.8%; range, 61.4-100%), sensitivity (89.5%), and specificity (80.0%) for diagnosing the presence of hip luxation. Accuracy for identifying the correct quadrant of luxation was significantly lower (mean, 58.6%; range, 24.6-90.8%; P < 0.001). Intraobserver accuracy agreement varied widely from none to almost perfect agreement, and interobserver agreement ranged from slight to moderate agreement. The results of this study supported the use of ultrasound for diagnosing the presence of hip luxation but did not support replacing radiographs for diagnosing the direction of luxation.

[Risk factors affecting mortality in patients with hip fractures at a regional trauma center]. / Einflussfaktoren auf die Mortalität bei Patienten mit hüftgelenknahen Frakturen an einem regionalen Traumazentrum.

BACKGROUND: Primary care hospitals and regional trauma centers play an essential role in the treatment of hip fractures. OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the relationship between patient-related parameters and in-hospital mortality as well as complications of hip fractures at a regional trauma center. METHODS: In a retrospective study, data were collected from all patients > 60 years admitted over 2 years to a regional trauma center with a hip fracture. Patient-related parameters included age, sex, fracture location, method of surgical treatment, time of surgery, duration of surgery, length of inpatient stay, blood transfusion, complications, comorbidities, use of anticoagulant medication and need for postoperative intensive care treatment. The relationship between these parameters and hospital mortality as well as complications was investigated. RESULTS: Data were collected from 360 patients undergoing 335 surgeries (f:m 225:110) with a mean age of 83 ± 8 years. The total in-hospital mortality rate was 7.76% (n = 26). Factors increasing in-hospital mortality included: age > 85 years (odds ratio [OR] 5.126; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.665-39.498; p = 0.1167); male sex (OR 1.85 95%-CI [0.82-4.14]; p = 0.0555); time of surgery > 24 h (OR 1.896 95%-CI [0.661-5.441]; p = 0.2341); ≥ 3 comorbidities (OR 10.61 95%-CI [3.681-27.501]; p < 0.0001); intake of anticoagulants (OR 6.19 95%-CI [2.69-14.24]; p < 0.0001) and postoperative intensive care (OR 5.9 95%-CI [2.56-13.76]; p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: In the present study a statistically significant influence of the number of comorbidities or Charlson comorbidity index, the intake of anticoagulant drugs and need for postoperative intensive care treatment on the in-hospital mortality of patients with proximal femoral fractures in a regional trauma center was found.

Is the golden ratio present in the coxal bone? An anatomical pilot study.

The coxal bone is crucial for movement, stability, and childbirth. Although most morphometric studies estimate gender and age, ratio, correlation and index calculations, there are no studies on the golden ratios in the coxal bone. Inspired by this idea, we investigated the presence of the golden ratio in the coxal bones. In this study, 95 adult dry coxal bones were measured using a digital caliper. Morphometric measurements were conducted based on 18 identified parameters. 12 of these parameters were related to the distances between two points in various parts of the bone. New ratios were determined with those measurements. In our study, we detected a constant coefficient between the following lengths: anterior superior iliac spine (ASIS)- posterior superior iliac spine (PSIS) and anterior inferior iliac spine (AIIS)- posterior inferior iliac spine (PIIS), vertical and transverse diameters of the acetabulum (AC), ASIS-AC and AIIS-AC, PSIS-AC and PIIS-AC, ASIS-auricular surface and AIIS-auricular surface, ASIS-symphyseal surface and AIIS-symphyseal surface (respectively, 1.29, 1.05, 1.18, 2.32, 1.26, 1.32). In order to check the accuracy of this hypothesis, length of between AIIS-PIIS, transverse diameter of the acetabulum, length of between PIIS-AC, length of between AIIS-AC, shortest distance between AIIS-auricular surface, length of between AIIS-symphyseal surface were estimated with the help of new equations. We detected constant ratios between some lengths in the coxal bone. Estimated distances should be taken into account during surgical procedures to prevent complications. In this context, the constant ratios identified in our study will serve as a guide for surgeons.

A review of anatomical terminology for the hip bone.

Anatomists have been attempting to standardize anatomical terminology of the human body and in doing so created the Terminologia Anatomica as a standard language of anatomy. Despite developments such as the Terminologia Anatomica, a lack of consistency of anatomical terminology is still seen across and within disciplines. This study explores the variation in terminology for the hip bone through a literature review. In total, ten terms used to describe the hip bone were searched in PubMed, JSTOR, and EBSCO databases: "coxal bone," "hip bone," "innominate bone," "os coxa," "os coxae," "ossa coxa," "ossa coxae," "os innominatum," "os pelvicum," and "pelvic bone." Results found that the terms "hip bone" and "pelvic bone" were the most commonly used terms, with the most frequently used discipline being medicine. However, we argue against the use of these terms in favor of "coxal bone" or "innominate bone." "Hip bone" should be avoided due to its colloquial nature, and "pelvic bone" is not specific enough to the structure of the hip. Latin terms are often incorrectly conjugated (e.g., "os coxae"); therefore, the English equivalent should be used when possible. Regardless, standardization of anatomical terminology should be adopted through consensus by practitioners, researchers, and stakeholders.

New Identification Tools for the Nymphs of Three Amblyomma spp. Koch (Ixodida: Ixodidae) in South Texas.

Taxonomic uncertainties and morphologic and molecular similarities may lead to incorrect or incomplete species identifications of immature ticks. This problem can be compounded when the diagnostic morphological features used are unreliable, unstable, or difficult to view. Our study attempts to sort out the similar morphologies of three Amblyomma spp. nymphs with partially overlapping geographic distributions in South Texas. Amblyomma americanum (L.), Amblyomma mixtum Koch, and Amblyomma tenellum Koch are three closely related species with similar nymphs and larvae. Previous attempts to morphologically distinguish among nymphs of these species have relied on difficult-to-observe and unreliable characters. Over the course of decades of routine diagnostic work with these ticks, we have observed and discovered consistent and useful morphologic features sufficient to practically distinguish among these nymphs. We confirmed our morphological studies with molecular genetic evidence (i.e., 12S mitochondrial genes), and we propose that practical, rapid morphological species-level identification of nymphs of the three named species is now possible with confidence.

Surco del Músculo Iliopsoas y su Relación Clínica con la Cadera. Una Revisión / Groove of the Iliopsoas Muscle and its Clinical Relationship with the Hip. A Review

El músculo iliopsoas es el principal flexor de la cadera siendo un rotador lateral accesorio de ésta, sus fibras discurren posteriores al ligamento inguinal, cruzando anteriormente a la pelvis. Este trayecto ocurre en un surco que se localiza entre la eminencia iliopúbica, medialmente y la espina iliaca anteroinferior, lateralmente. Si bien existen antecedentes de este surco, no se encuentra expresado en la terminología anatómica internacional (TAI) como un surco relevante dentro de los relieves óseos pélvicos. Este surco se encuentra asociado al tendón en diferentes disfunciones de cadera, como la cadera en resorte (coxa saltans). El objetivo de la investigación es ampliar el conocimiento clínico y anatómico de este surco y su inclusión en la terminología anatómica internacional. Dentro de los criterios de inclusión se seleccionaron artículos publicados en español e inglés que aludieron referencia al surco y/o palabras claves como, "músculo iliopsoas", "músculo psoas ilíaco", "surco iliopsoas" "surco coxal", "groove iliopsoas" y "iliopsoas muscle" "surco coxal". Los motores de búsqueda utilizados fueron Pubmed, Google Académico y Springer Link. La relevancia del surco del músculo iliopsoas abre una puerta a las discusiones respecto a su forma y profundidad, así como también un punto de referencia asociada a diferentes situaciones clínicas relacionada con este surco y probables predisposiciones a lesiones o chasquidos que ocurren en cadera. Finalmente, el conocimiento del surco para el músculo iliopsoas es importante tenerlo en consideración en investigaciones que aborden esta región, así como su terminología anatómica, relaciones anatómicas, clínicas y quirúrgicas.

SUMMARY: The iliopsoas muscle is the main hip flexor being an accessory lateral rotator of this, its fibers run posterior to the inguinal ligament, crossing anterior to the pelvis. This course occurs in a groove located between the iliopubic eminence medially and the anterior inferior iliac spine laterally. Although there are antecedents of this groove, no relevant comments are found in international anatomical terminology (IAT) as a groove within the pelvic bone reliefs. This groove is associated with the tendon in different hip dysfunctions, such as the hip snap (coxa saltans). The objective of the research is to expand the clinical and anatomical knowledge of this groove and its inclusion in international anatomical terminology. Within the inclusion criteria, articles published in Spanish and English were selected that referred to the groove and/or keywords such as "iliopsoas muscle", "iliopsoas muscle", "iliopsoas groove", "coxal groove", "iliopsoas groove". and "iliopsoas muscle" "coxal groove". The search engines used were Pubmed, Google Scholar and Springer Link. The relevance of the iliopsoas muscle groove gives way to discussions regarding its shape and depth, as well as a point of reference associated with different clinical situations related to this groove and probable predispositions to injuries or snaps that occur in the hip. Finally, knowledge of the groove for the iliopsoas muscle is important to consider in research that addresses this region, as well as its anatomical terminology, anatomical, clinical, and surgical relationships.

A quantitative morphological analysis of three-dimensional CT coxal bone images of contemporary Japanese using homologous models for sex and age estimation.

Sexual dimorphisms and age-dependent morphological features of the human coxal bone were quantitatively analyzed using homologous models created from three-dimensional (3D) computed tomography images of the pelvis (male: 514 samples, female: 388 samples, age 16-100). Bilateral average coxal images of each sex and age decade were generated separately through principle component analyses (PCA). By measuring average point-to-point distances of 8472 corresponding points (average corresponding point differences [ACPDs]) between each homologous coxal image and the average images, the sex of more than 93% of the samples was correctly assigned. Some principal components (PCs) detected in PCA of the homologous models of the samples correlated fairly well with age and are affected by features of the curvature of the iliac crest, the arcuate line and the greater sciatic notch. Moreover, separate PCA using the average images of each age decade successfully detected the first PCs, which were strongly correlated with age. However, neither multiple regression analysis using PCs related to age nor comparison of ACPDs with the average images of each age decade could produce accurate results for age decade assignment of unknown (blind) samples. Therefore, more detailed analysis of age-dependent morphological features would be necessary for actual age estimation. In addition, some laterality or left and right shape difference of the coxal bone images was also elucidated, and was more significant in females. Analysis of 3D structures using homologous models and PCA appears to be a potential technique to detect subsistent morphological changes of bones.

Morphometric Measurements of the Hip Bone in Turkish Adult Population.

OBJECTIVES: Coxal bone paticipates in the formation of the pelvic skeleton. Anatomy knowledge on coxafemoral joint as well as careful history taking and physical examination are crucial in evaluation and management of disorders involving hip joint. The aims of the present study were to perform morphometric measurements of the human coxal bones, calculation of their articular surface areas and report the range of these parameters regarding Turkish adult population. METHODS: Seventy-two dry human adult coxal bones (39 left and 33 right) from the Anatomy Departments of Erciyes University, Inonu University and Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam University were measured using a caliper sensitive to 0.1 mm. Morphometric measurements were performed through 22 parameters determined. While 19 of these parameters were related to the distance between two points and thicknesses in various parts of the bone, the remaining three were related to the determination of articular surface areas. The articular surface areas of hip bone (facies auricularis (FA), facies lunata (FL) and facies symphsialis (FS)) were calculated with ImageJ software program. RESULTS: The average values of facies auricularis area were 1659.04 ± 470.92 mm² and 1637.32 ± 460.15 mm² on the left and right coxal bones, respectively. No statistically significant difference was determined between the left and right coxal bone measurements (p > 0.05). We found a positive and significant correlation between articular surface areas of facies auricularis (FA), facies lunata (FL) and facies symphysialis (FS) and maximum width of ilium (rFA = 0.299, rFL = 0.276, rFS = 0.375, respectively and p < 0.05), and distance between spina ilica anterior superior and the upper edge of facies symphysialis (rFA = 0.268, rFL = 0.511, rFS = 0.482, respectively and p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The distribution and mean values of coxal bone morphometric measurements usually differ between individuals and human populations. With this regard, orthopedic surgeons should be aware of the diversity in components of coxal bone dimensions although implants and hip prosthesis components of different sizes are manufactured. Safe routes and estimated distances should be considered during surgical procedures to avoid complications.

Refixation of the Excised Acetabular Labrum can Affect the Structural Changes of Cartilage Surface in the Hip Joint / La Refijación del Labrum Acetabular Extirpado Puede Afectar los Cambios Estructurales de la Superficie del Cartílago en la Articulación Coxal

SUMMARY: Refixation of the damaged acetabular labrum is a method of surgical treatment of the hip joint that can promote the repair of joint function after injury and prevent premature osteoarthritis. We sought to determine the condition of the hip joint in rabbits 4 months after excision of the acetabular labrum and the condition of the joint after labral refixation. The articular cartilage of the femoral head and acetabulum was examined by histological methods, multipoint measurement of cartilage thickness, and the ratio between cartilage matrix and chondrocytes lacunae, and the condition of cartilage according to the OARSI grading scale was carried out. On this model, a correlation analysis was performed between the results of the OARSI grading scale and the data of linear morphometry. All these parameters made it possible to better assess changes in articular cartilage. The ratio between matrix and chondrocyte lacunae turned out to be a method that allows establishing early cartilage damage when erosion, fibrosis or deformation did not occur. We found significant differences between the condition of the cartilage after exicion of acetabular labrum and after labral refixation, which give hope to confirm that this surgical technique can delay or prevent progressive changes in the cartilage of the damaged hip joint.

La refijación del labrum acetabular dañado es un método de tratamiento quirúrgico de la articulación coxal, que puede promover la reparación de la función articular después de una lesión y prevenir la osteoartritis prematura. Intentamos determinar el estado de la articulación coxal en conejos de 4 meses después de la escisión del labrum acetabular y observar el estado de la articulación después de la refijación del labrum. El cartílago articular de la cabeza femoral y el acetábulo se examinó por métodos histológicos, se midió a través de multipunto el grosor del cartílago y se realizó la relación entre la matriz del cartílago y las lagunas de condrocitos, y se llevó a cabo la condición del cartílago según la escala de clasificación OARSI. Sobre este modelo se realizó un análisis de correlación entre los resultados de la escala de calificación OARSI y los datos de la morfometría lineal. Todos estos parámetros permitieron evaluar mejor los cambios en el cartílago articular. La relación entre la matriz y las lagunas de condrocitos resultó ser un método que permite establecer temprano el daño del cartílago cuando no se presentó erosión, fibrosis o deformación. Encontramos diferencias significativas entre la condición del cartílago después de la extirpación del labrum acetabular y después de la refijación del labrum, lo que da la esperanza de confirmar que esta técnica quirúrgica puede retrasar o prevenir cambios progresivos en el cartílago de la articulación coxal dañada.

Morpho-functional variety of the coxal glands in cheyletoid mites (Prostigmata). II. Cheyletidae.

Trombidiform mites are characterized by the presence of several paired glands in the anterior body portion united by a common conducting duct (podocephalic canal). Apart from the acinous (salivary) glands the podocephalic system includes a pair of tubular coxal glands (CGs) responsible for osmoregulation. The aim of the present study was to figure out how functional changes of acinous glands reflect on the corresponding CG. For this purpose, the anatomy and fine structure of the CG were analyzed in two mite species, Bakericheyla chanayi and Ornithocheyletia sp. (Cheyletidae), which have a different composition of their single acinous gland. The results showed that in both species the CG lacks a filtering saccule. It is composed of the proximal and distal tubes and leads into a cuticle-lined excretory duct. Both tubes demonstrate a similar species-specific fine structure. They are characterized by an extensive system of apical membrane invaginations (internal canals) associated with numerous large mitochondria. Local areas of modified internal canals were regularly observed in both species. They contain structures resembling those constituting filtering slit diaphragms of other animals. In O. sp., CG cells in addition demonstrate features characteristic of protein-like secretion. Apparently this correlates with the loss of true salivary glands in this species, as its acinous gland was previously assumed as silk producing. Contrary to this, the CG of B. chanayi shows no kind of granulation, which coincides with the presence of a salivary portion in its complex acinous gland. The microtubule-rich intercalary cells at the base of the excretory duct were associated with special muscles presumably regulating the dilation of the duct lumen. These cells might represent a basic feature common to different types of podocephalic glands.

Sex determination using the DSP (probabilistic sex diagnosis) method on the coxal bone: Efficiency of method according to number of available variables.

The DSP method (probabilistic sex diagnosis) was applied to100 contemporary coxal bones from elderly individuals of the South of France. Ten variables with a posterior probability greater or equal to a 0.95 threshold were used. There was no statistical difference between right side and left side measurements. There was no mistake for sex assignment but the level of indetermination varied a great deal. It was higher in females than in males. The best combinations were obtained when using all 10 variables, some combination of 9 variables (all except SS or SIS or VEAC) or the first 8 variables. We conclude that the DSP method is of great interest in forensic anthropology, thanks to a very weak possibility of mistake when using the software for sex determination of the coxal bone. The main drawback is the level of indetermination that can be high depending on the available variables.

Anatomic variations of the hip joint in soldiers of different ages / Variaciones anatómicas de la articulación coxal en soldados de diferentes edades

SUMMARY: Anatomic variations in hip joint are one of the risk factors for the occurrence of osteoarthritis of that part of locomotor system. Due to different age structure and a special way of conducting physical activity in the army, it is justified to presume the presence of even other risk factors which relate to the aging process, carrying of oversize weight and performing higher amplitudes of movement under load. The objective of the study related to determining the existence of eventual anatomic variations in the hip joint in soldiers of different age. This cross-sectional study covers 240 soldiers of Montenegro Army, divided into 8 age groups. Gathered data for morphological measures hip width and hip circumference were processed using the basic statistics, multivariate and univariate of variance and Tukey's Honestly Significant Difference test-HSD. The differences were considered statistically significant for p≤0.05. It was determined that for both morphological measures there are differences between soldiers of certain age. This is confirmed also by drastic deviations between certain age groups obtained for the defined level of statistical significance. The most pronounced is the detection of the annual increase of hip width of soldiers which is higher for 0.38 mm compared to general population. Based on the obtained results the existence of anatomic variations in soldiers' hip joints is stated. The confirmed anatomic changes in conjunction with other risk factors may lead to hip osteoarthritis, i.e to soldiers' health condition impairment. It is necessary to conduct longitudinal studies on the same examinees with precise diagnostics.

RESUMEN: Las variaciones anatómicas en la articulación coxal son uno de los factores de riesgo de la osteoartritis de esa zona del sistema locomotor. Debido a la diferente estructura respecto a la de edad y una forma especial de realizar la actividad física en el ejército, se justifica presumir la presencia de otros factores de riesgo que se relacionan con el proceso de envejecimiento, el transporte de peso sobredimensionado y la realización de mayores amplitudes de movimiento bajo carga. El objetivo del estudio fue determinar la existencia de eventuales variaciones anatómicas en la articulación coxal en soldados de diferentes edades. Este estudio transversal incluyó 240 soldados del Ejército de Montenegro, divididos en 8 grupos de edad. Los datos recopilados para las medidas morfológicas del ancho y la circunferencia de la articulación coxal se procesaron utilizando las estadísticas básicas, la varianza multivariada y univariada y la prueba HSD de diferencia significativa de Tukey. Las diferencias fueron consideradas estadísticamente significativas para p≤0,05. Se determinó que para ambas medidas morfológicas existen diferencias entre soldados de cierta edad. Esto fue confirmado también por las desviaciones drásticas entre ciertos grupos de edad obtenidos para el nivel definido de significación estadística. El más pronunciado es la detección del aumento anual del ancho de cadera de los soldados, que es superior en 0,38 mm en comparación con la población general. En base a los resultados obtenidos se afirma la existencia de variaciones anatómicas en las articulaciones coxales de los soldados. Los cambios anatómicos confirmados junto con otros factores de riesgo pueden conducir a la osteoartritis de cadera, es decir, al deterioro del estado de salud de los soldados. Es necesario realizar estudios longitudinales en los mismos examinados con diagnósticos precisos.

Morpho-functional variety of the coxal glands in cheyletoid mites (Prostigmata). I. Syringophilidae.

The anatomy and fine structure of the osmoregulatory coxal glands have been investigated in the parasitic quill mites, Syringophylopsis fringilla (Fritsch) and Torotrogla cardueli Bochkov & Mironov (Syringophilidae). In both species, tubular coxal organs are the only pair of propodosomal glands, whereas in most Prostigmata, several acinous (salivary) glands are also present entering a pair of podocephalic canals, which are continuations of the coxal glands' excretory ducts. In the adults and tritonymphs of the quill mites, the coxal glands show the same basic morphology with slight differences in their packing mode between the studied species. A filtering sacculus is absent. Each gland consists of a long tubular gland body comprising 4 to 6 longitudinal trunks and a cuticle-lined excretory duct continuous into the podocephalic canal. The gland body is composed of 4 morphologically distinct regions: proximal and distal tubes followed by the two granule-containing regions denoted as the "violet" and "green" gland portions. Electron microscopy showed the epithelium of the proximal and distal tubes to be rich in deep apical membrane invaginations associated with branched pinocytotic canals or vacuoles, especially extensive in the distal tube. A number of large mitochondria are concentrated basally to maintain ionic and water transport. The enlarged penultimate "violet" portion is composed of high epithelial cells that show certain endocytotic activity and also produce a large amount of uniform secretory granules derived from numerous small Golgi bodies. The terminal "green" portion produces dense protein-like inclusions and might functionally substitute lost salivary glands. The fine structure of the podocephalic canal is also thoroughly described and compared to the information available in the literature.

Metric Sex Determination of the Human Coxal Bone on a Virtual Sample using Decision Trees.

Decision trees provide an alternative to multivariate discriminant analysis, which is still the most commonly used in anthropometric studies. Our study analyzed the metric characterization of a recent virtual sample of 113 coxal bones using decision trees for sex determination. From 17 osteometric type I landmarks, a dataset was built with five classic distances traditionally reported in the literature and six new distances selected using the two-step ratio method. A ten-fold cross-validation was performed, and a decision tree was established on two subsamples (training and test sets). The decision tree established on the training set included three nodes and its application to the test set correctly classified 92% of individuals. This percentage was similar to the data of the literature. The usefulness of decision trees has been demonstrated in numerous fields. They have been already used in sex determination, body mass prediction, and ancestry estimation. This study shows another use of decision trees enabling simple and accurate sex determination.

Anatomical basis for the selective block of the nerve to quadratus femoris by way of percutaneous techniques / Bases anatómicas para el bloque selectivo del nervio del músculo cuadrado femoral a través de técnicas percutáneas

SUMMARY: Hip joint chronic pain can severely compromise patients' life quality. Peripheral nerve blocks play an important role as diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. The aim of this work is to study the anatomy of the nerve to quadratus femoris (NQF) in view of the possibility of its percutaneous selective block. Forty-three gluteal cadaveric regions fixed in formaldehyde solution were dissected. The quadratus femoris, the obturator internus and superior and inferior gemellus were freed from their lateral insertion, exposing thus the posterior aspect of the hip joint. The NQF was identified, and the horizontal distance to the posterior edge of the greater trochanter at its upper, middle and lower thirds was registered. The number of the articular branches of the NQF was identified. Likewise, the horizontal distance to the posterior edge of the greater trochanter and the longitudinal distance to the line through the distal end of the posterior edge of the greater trochanter were measured. The distance between the NQF and the greater trochanter posterior edge at upper, middle and lower thirds was 46 mm, 41 mm and 35 mm, respectively. In most cases (85 %) the NQF presented one or two articular branches. The longitudinal distances between the line through the distal end of the posterior edge of the greater trochanter and the origin of the first, second and third articular branches of the NQF were 14.7 mm (-19.4 - 40), 16.4 mm (-9.3-42) and 27 mm (0-46), respectively. The distances to the posterior edge of the greater trochanter were 43.1 mm (16.3-66), 37.7 mm (6.5-53) and 39.8 mm (26-52), for the first, second and third articular branches, respectively. In conclusion, the articular branches of the nerve to quadratus femoris have a constant and predictable distribution. Our findings allow for generating a coordinate system for the selective block of the NQF by way of percutaneous techniques.

RESUMEN: El dolor crónico de la articulación coxal puede comprometer severamente la calidad de vida de los pacientes. Los bloqueos nerviosos periféricos juegan un papel importante como procedimientos diagnósticos y terapéuticos. El objetivo de este trabajo es estudiar la anatomía del nervio del músculo cuadrado femoral (NCF) en vista de la posibilidad de su bloqueo selectivo percutáneo. Se utilizaron 22 cadáveres fijados en solución de formaldehído. Fueron disecadas en total 43 regiones glúteas. Los músculos cuadrado femoral, obturador interno y los gemelos superior e inferior fueron liberados de su inserción lateral, exponiendo así la cara posterior de la articulación coxal. Se identificó el NCF y se registró la distancia horizontal al margen posterior del trocánter mayor en sus tercios superior, medio e inferior. Se identificó el número de ramas articulares del NQF. Asimismo, se midió la distancia horizontal al margen posterior del trocánter mayor y la distancia longitudinal a la línea que pasa por el extremo distal del margen posterior del trocánter mayor. La distancia entre el NCF y el margen posterior del trocánter mayor en los tercios superior, medio e inferior fue de 46 mm, 41 mm y 35 mm, respectivamente. En la mayoría de los casos (85 %) el NCF presentó una o dos ramas articulares. Las distancias longitudinales entre la línea que pasa por el extremo distal del margen posterior del trocánter mayor y el origen de la primera, segunda y tercera ramas articulares del NQF fueron 14,7 mm (-19,4 - 40), 16,4 mm (-9,3-42) y 27 mm (0-46), respectivamente. Las distancias al margen posterior del trocánter mayor fueron 43,1 mm (16,3-66), 37,7 mm (6,5-53) y 39,8 mm (26-52), para la primera, segunda y tercera ramas articulares, respectivamente. En conclusión, las ramas articulares del nervio al cuadrado femoral tienen una distribución constante y predecible. Nuestros hallazgos permiten generar un sistema de coordenadas para el bloqueo selectivo del NCF por medio de técnicas percutáneas.