A tomographic evaluation of the Tuffier line in patients with hip fracture

Abstract

Aim The aim of this study was to compare the vertebral level of the Tuffier line in patients with hip fracture with the level in a control group using computed tomography (CT) examination, and to determine whether or not the Tuffier line changed location according to age and gender.Methods CT images were examined of 55 patients aged >18 years with hip fracture who presented at the Orthopaedics Clinic and of 55 patients as a control group who had lumbar CT taken for any other reason.Results A total of 110 patients were included in the study, comprising 46 males and 64 females. The Tuffier line was determined at higher levels in the patients with hip fracture compared to the control group (p=0.006). While there was no significant relationship between gender and level in the hip fracture group (p=0.579), the Tuffier line was determined to be at lower levels in the females of the non-fracture group (p=0.000).Conclusion The results of this study showed that in hip fracture patients there could be a change according to age and gender. In particular, as the Tuffier line in hip fracture patients crosses a higher vertebral level compared to the normal population, to reduce the complication rate in the application of neuroaxial anaesthesia, it would be more appropriate to use auxiliary methods additional to the Tuffier line when determining the entry point.

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