Clinical determination of femoral anteversion. A comparison with established techniques.

We evaluated femoral anteversion preoperatively in fifty-nine patients (ninety-one hips), using a clinical method that we developed, Magilligan radiographs, and computed tomographic scans. These measurements were then compared with values for anteversion that were obtained intraoperatively. To determine femoral anteversion clinically, the patient was placed in the prone position and the maximum lateral trochanteric prominence was related to the degree of internal rotation of the hip. Compared with computed tomographic scanning and Magilligan radiographic determination, the clinically determined anteversion correlated most closely (to within 4 degrees) with the amount measured at the time of the operation. The clinical method was found to be superior to radiographic techniques for determination of the degree of femoral anteversion in children who have not had a previous operation about the hip.