Study of nutrient foramina in dry adult femur bones in a medical college from north India

Yasmeena Akhter,
Kaneez Fatima,
Ghulam Mohammad Bhat,
Bashir Ahmad Shah,
Mohd Irshad,*
Zameer Ali

Abstract

Background & aim: -Nutrient foramina are entry points of nutrient arteries in bones and form important landmarks on human bones. Understanding the nutrient foramina is critical to surgical practice. An insult to the nutrient foramina leads to devascularization of bone. The number, position, patency and direction of nutrient foramina are important in various surgical procedures and vary with race, ethnicity and geographical areas highlighting the importance of this study. The objective of the present study was to describe the number, position, direction, size, and foraminal index of nutrient foramen in the human adult femurs. Materials and Methods: - The present study was undertaken on 100 adult femur bones of both sexes and sides in government medical college in north India. Bones were studied with number, size, position, direction and patency of nutrient foramina. Results: -. 56% of femurs were right-sided and single foramina was seen in 75% of bones. In two-thirds of bones, nutrient foramina were found in upper two-thirds of femur and most common site of nutrient foramina was medial lip of Linea aspera. The direction of nutrient foramina was away from growing end in 95% of bones and in same percentage of bones nutrient foramina were found patent. The mean foraminal index for the femur bones was 40.8 with SD of 12.62 and mean length was 38.9cm with SD of 2. 5cm. Conclusion: - The present study provides information on the number, size, position, and direction of nutrient foramina of the femur which is very in important in surgical approaches on femur.