Morphologic and Topographic Anatomy of the Nutrient Foramen in Human Long Bones and Its Clinical Significance

BACKGROUND The aim of the study was to evaluate the number and position of the nutrient foramina in tibia, fibula, femur, humerus, ulna, and radius bones of dry human bones and correlate the results clinically. METHODS For this purpose, 214 long bones were examined. Of the 214 bones studied, 31 were radial, 28 ulnar, 46 humeral, 33 tibial, 22 fibular and 54 femoral. The size, location and the number of nutrient foramina were analysed, and the length of the bone, and the distance of the nutrient foramina from the proximal end of the bone were measured. And the foraminal index was calculated. RESULTS The numbers of primary nutrient foramen (PF) and secondary nutrient foramen (SF) were 183 (85.5 %) and 16 (7.47 %), respectively, and distributed 80.64 % at radius, 92.85 % at ulna, 80.43 % at humerus, 93.93 % at tibia, 86.36 % at fibula, and 83.33 % at femur. The greatest number of SF was on the femur, but not on the tibia and fibula. A statistically significant correlation was seen among; TL-DPF (radius, tibia and femur), DPF-FI (radius, ulna, humerus, tibia, fibula and femur). CONCLUSIONS This study provides important information about the morphology of nutrient foramina in human long bones, knowledge of which will be useful to surgeons in planning orthopaedic procedures and useful to anthropologists in segmental analysis.