Determination of bone mass and hip axis length of contralateral side in patients with hip fracture

Introduction: The currently accepted definition of osteoporosis as follows: A progressive systemic skeletal disease characterized by a low bone mass and microarchitectural deterioration of bone tissue leading to an increase in bone fragility and a susceptibility to fractures. BMD compared with age and sex matched controls (Z-scores) or with young adult sex matched controls (T-scores). Hip axis length (HAL) is the dimension along the femoral neck axis from the base of greater trochanter through the femoral head and the acetabulum to the inner pelvic brim, and it is one of the strongest predictors of fracture risk. Material and method: Twenty five patients with hip fracture of which 14 patients had intertrochantric fracture and 11 had neck femur fracture were included in our study. Bone mineral density of contralateral hip at neck, trochanteric region, Ward’s triangle, upper shaft and total BMD were assessed. Hip axis length was calculated automatically by the machine. All the parameters were analyzed and compared for statistical reporting of results. Summary and Conclusion: We conclude that the patients with hip fractures have significantly lower bone mass in proximal femur, femoral neck region and intertrochanteric region. The mean hip axis length of patients with femoral neck fractures (10.25 ± 0.73 cm) is more than patients with intertrochanteric fractures (9.76 ± 0.80 cm).