Anatomical parameters of the acetabulum in heavy vehicle operators

Abstract

© 2017, University of Kragujevac, Faculty of Science. All rights reserved. It has been suggested that long-term exposure by heavy vehicle operators to whole-body vibration (WBV) may be related to an increased risk of pathological changes in the anatomical parameters of the hip. The aim of this study was to explore the difference in anatomical parameters of acetabulum in drivers of heavy vehicles (experimental group; n=60) and subjects who have not been exposed to WBV (control group; n=60). The anteroposterior radiographic view of the hips was used to measure the following parameters: the vertical centre edge (VCE), the ‘horizontal toit externe’ angle (HTE), the neck shaft angle (NSA) and the acetabular depth (AD). Compared with the control group, the mean VCE angle values and AD were significantly lower, while the average HTE and NSA values were significantly higher in the experimental group. This study supports the hypothesis that exposure to whole-body vibration during operation of a vehicle causes an increased risk of acetabular dysplasia.