A new method for the measurement and analysis of three-dimensional morphological parameters of proximal male femur

The common method to evaluate femoral fracture risk was to measure bone mineral density. However, the morphology of proximal femur also had a great influence on fracture risk. The objective of this paper was to measure three-dimensional morphological parameters of proximal femur more accurately. A new measurement method was established by reverse engineering technique. Fifty-one subjects with the age range of 66-75 were divided into two age groups. All subjects were scanned using QCT and the right femurs were reconstructed to perform the measurement. There were eight three-dimensional morphological parameters measured. Custom developed algorithm for parameters measurement was validated to be reliable. Relationships between these parameters were analyzed. Statistical results showed that there were strong correlations between the parameters. There were large differences in morphological parameters between different age groups. This study provides the basic data about the morphologies of proximal femur in elderly male and the references for the fracture risk evaluation of proximal femur for elderly.