University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, School of Medicine, 175 Summerwalk Circle, Chapel Hill, NC 27517, USA.
Am J Sports Med. 2012 Oct;40(10):2213-7. doi: 10.1177/0363546512457158. Epub 2012 Aug 24.
The contour of the femoral head-neck junction has been shown to have an effect on femoroacetabular impingement (FAI), which can lead to early osteoarthritis of the hip. This study uses computed tomography (CT) to investigate changes in the femoral head, femoral neck, and joint space with aging.
The ratio of the diameter of the femoral head to the diameter of the femoral neck would decrease with increasing age, thus diminishing the "offset" of the femoral neck and being a possible mechanism for cam-type FAI and resultant osteoarthritis.
Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3.
There were 20 male and 20 female patients from each decade, aged 20 to 80 years, who received pelvic and abdominal CT scans. In the axial plane, the femoral head and neck were measured from anterior to posterior, and the joint space was measured anteromedially. The ratio of the diameter of the femoral head to the diameter of the femoral neck was calculated, and patients with radiographic signs of osteoarthritis were noted. Regression analysis was performed to examine the significance of the relationships between these variables, age, and osteoarthritis.
Male and female patients showed significant increases in femoral head diameter and femoral neck diameter as well as decreases in joint space width with increasing age. Male patients showed a decrease in the femoral head-neck ratio (relative neck thickening) of 0.0053 per year (P < .0001) or an average 18% decrease from age 20 to 80 years, while female patients did not show a significant relationship (P = .29). Male patients with signs of osteoarthritis had a smaller femoral head-neck ratio (P < .0001) than those without, while female patients did not (P = .25). Male and female patients with signs of osteoarthritis had a larger femoral head and femoral neck and a more narrow joint space width than those without.
Our results suggest that, as men age, they develop a relatively thicker femoral neck that could result in increasing cam impingement, which contributes to the known higher prevalence of osteoarthritis in men. This does not seem to be the case in women, as their femoral neck does not appear to grow as quickly.
股骨头颈交界处的轮廓已被证明对股骨髋臼撞击（FAI）有影响，这可能导致髋关节早期骨关节炎。本研究使用计算机断层扫描（CT）来研究随年龄增长股骨头、股骨颈和关节间隙的变化。
随着年龄的增长，股骨头直径与股骨颈直径的比值会减小，从而减小股骨颈的“偏移”，这可能是凸轮型 FAI 和由此产生的骨关节炎的机制。
横断面研究；证据水平，3 级。
每个年龄段各有 20 名男性和 20 名女性患者，年龄 20 至 80 岁，接受骨盆和腹部 CT 扫描。在轴位平面上，从前向后测量股骨头和颈，从内侧前角测量关节间隙。计算股骨头直径与股骨颈直径的比值，并记录有放射学骨关节炎迹象的患者。进行回归分析以检查这些变量、年龄和骨关节炎之间关系的显著性。
男性和女性患者的股骨头直径和股骨颈直径随着年龄的增长而显著增加，关节间隙宽度也随之减小。男性患者的股骨头颈比（相对颈增厚）每年减少 0.0053（P <.0001），即从 20 岁到 80 岁平均减少 18%，而女性患者则没有显著关系（P =.29）。有骨关节炎迹象的男性患者的股骨头颈比（P <.0001）小于无骨关节炎迹象的患者，而女性患者则没有（P =.25）。有骨关节炎迹象的男性和女性患者的股骨头和股骨颈较大，关节间隙宽度较窄。
我们的研究结果表明，随着男性年龄的增长，他们的股骨颈相对变厚，可能导致凸轮撞击增加，这导致已知男性骨关节炎的患病率较高。女性似乎并非如此，因为她们的股骨颈似乎没有那么快地生长。
