The upper end of the femur: dimensions of the endosteal canal.

Based on a prospective study of 30 right or left femurs removed in a continuous series in the anatomy department, a study was made of the dimensions of the endosteal canal of the upper end of the femur. The femora were analysed by means of 12 CT scans below the lesser trochanter. The sections were numbered and the dimensional parameters calculated by computer, using an original plan. The results were subjected to descriptive and correlative analysis. From these dimensional findings it appeared that the anatomy of the upper end of the femur is not random; morphotypic models exist and the laws of a normal model are regulated by a mathematical equation.