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Are radiological joint space widths of normal hips asymmetrical?
Department of
Rheumatology, Hôpital Cochin, 27 rue du Faubourg Saint Jacques, 75014 Paris, France
Correspondence to: Dr B Amor.
Accepted for publication 31 December 1998.
BACKGROUND
To be
certain that the joint space width is abnormal in the case of hip joint
pain when compared with the contralateral hip requires knowledge of
physiological dissymmetry.
AIM OF THE STUDYTo
assess interindividual variability and dissymmetry in pelvic
radiological joint space width.
METHODSPelvic
radiographs of subjects without hip joint disease. Measurement with a
0.1 mm graduated magnifying glass and 0.5 mm graduated flat ruler at
the hip superointermediate site (vertical going through the femoral
head centre). After randomisation of the side to measure, analysis of
nine groups of 19 plain films by one investigator blind for the result
of the contralateral side.
RESULTSThe difference
between the left and right hip was plotted against the corresponding
mean for all 171 normal subjects This shows the frequency and the
limits of the asymmetry at each measurement site. The asymmetry is
independent of interindividual variability of the joint space width and
greater than the measurement error in most subjects.
CONCLUSIONThis study
confirms the interindividual variability of hip joint space width,
shows the frequency of hip joint space asymmetry and defines its limit.
© 1999 by Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
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