The Relationship between the Length of the Greater Trochanter to the Lateral Epicondyle of the Femur Bone with the Distance between the Olecranon Type and the Finger Type of 5th Hands

Abstract

Background: Femoral bone fractures are one of the most important bone fractures particulary following trauma. Femur length measurements and insertion of properly sized intramedullary nail is among the major concerns of orthopedic surgeons. Nowadays the length of the femoral nail is calculated by measuring the trochanteric length of the femur to the upper patellar pole or lateral epicondyle. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the length of the greater trochanter to the lateral femoral epicondyle and the distance between the olecranon tip and the 5th fingertip. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 380 outpatients (17 to 65 years old) in Kashani and Alzahra hospitals in Isfahan. The length of the olecranon tip to 5th fingertip and the length of the greater trochanter to the lateral femoral epicondyle were measured while overall the groups were gonna evaluated in terms of age, gender and body mass. T-test was used to analyze the research data for any statistical significance. Findings: Examination of the data showed that there was no significant difference between the mean length of the greater trochanter to the lateral epicondyle of the femur and the length of the olecranon to 5th fingertip. When the mean difference between the two lengths was examined separately in terms of sex and age and body mass index, similar results were obtained and no significant difference was observed. Conclusion: There was no significant difference between the mean length of the greater trochanter to the lateral epicondyle of the femur and the length of the olecranon to 5th fingertip. There was no significant difference between the two measured lengths in different age, sex and weight groups.

Keywords

• bone nails
• leg length
• femoral fractures
• internal fixation
• orthopedic fixation devices