Acetabular dysplasia in adult hips of a Saudi population. A possible relation to coxarthrosis.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate acetabular morphology and the prevalence of dysplasia in a Saudi population, and compare it with others in different geographical areas. METHODS The study took place at King Fahd University Hospital, Al-Khobar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from May 2005 to April 2006. We recruited radiographs of 104 patients of 40-88 years of age. We digitally measured the center edge angle (CEA) of both hips. RESULTS Of the 208 hips examined, 3 hips (1.44%) had mild-to-moderate acetabular dysplasia but there was no case with severe dysplasia (CEA<or=20 degree). CONCLUSION The study shows that acetabular dysplasia is very rare in adult Saudi hip joints, which are less dysplastic than many other populations. This could be a contributing factor for the very uncommon prevalence of hip osteoarthritis in this population.