Comparative Study of the Roentgenographic Methods for the Measurement of the Femoral Anteversion

The angle of the femoral anteverison has been recognized as an important consideration in the orthopedic Geld. The angle of the femoral anteversion can be measured roentgenographically by 3 methods, such as fluoroscopic, biplanar and axial methods. It is the purpose of this study to investigate the comparative accuracy of the roentgenographic methods determining the angle of the femoral anteversion. The measurements by the fluoroscopic(Rogers), biplanar (Magilligan) and axial (Dunn) methods were compared with the direct measurement of 42 adult dried femora and the measured values were statistically analyzed. The results were as follows: l. Among fluoroscopic, biplanar and axial methods, the biplanar method using Magilligan technique was the statistically reliable method to determine the angle of the femoral anteversion. 2. The axial method showed tendency to underestimate the angle of the femoral anteversion. 3. Though the fluoroscopic method was not so accurate as the biplanar method statistically, the 2 methods showed no difference in the ratio of measurement error within ±5°and ±10° range.