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Evaluation of cortical index in the femur of young adults in Port Harcourt, Nigeria


A.I. Udoaka

Abstract

A total of 600 anteroposterior radiographic films of the femur of 600 adult Nigerians (289 males and 311 females) between the ages of 20 and 40 years were used to study the Cortical bone width and index of the femoral shaft. The total bone width and medullary width were measured at the middle third of the femoral shaft using standard procedures. From the above measurements the Cortical bone width and the Cortical index were then calculated. The mean Cortical Index (CI) was found to be 0.54 ± 0.06 for the males and 0.54 ± 0.04 for the females. There was no significant difference between the index of the males and females. This study provides an easy and objective means of diagnosing and assessing osteoporosis but can not be used for gender identification of long bone in anthropological research.

Keywords: Femur, Cortical Index, Osteoporosis, Radiograph


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eISSN: 1118-1931
print ISSN: 1118-1931