Page 1 of 4 Original research study Licensee OA Publishing London 2014. Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY) For citation purposes: Solanke KS, Bhatnagar R, Pokhrel R. Number and position of nutrient foramina in humerus, radius and ulna of human dry bones of Indian origin with clinical correlation. OA Anatomy 2014 Feb 01;2(1):4. Compeing interests: none declared. Conlict of interests: declared in the aricle. Dr Hope declares Bard consuling and Ethicon research support as potenial conlicts of interest. Drs Von and Johnson have no compeing interests or conlicts of interest to disclose. * Corresponding author Email: drkirtipawarsolanke@gmail.com Department of Anatomy, Armed Forces Medi- cal College, Pune 40, Maharashtra, India Number and position of nutrient foramina in humerus, radius and ulna of human dry bones of Indian origin with clinical correlation KS Solanke*, R Bhatnagar, R Pokhrel and topographical analysis of NF in upper limb long bones 3–5 , studies on variations in the incidence, direction and position of NF in long bones of the upper limb are scarce, particular- ly in Indian population. The present study was thus conducted to provide information on morphology and to- pography of NF in human upper limb long bones of Maharashtrian popu- lation from India and discuss their clinical significance. Materials and Methods The protocol of this study has been approved by the relevant ethical committee related to our institution in which it was performed. The study sample comprised 285 fully ossified adult upper limb long bones, not necessarily paired, of un- known sex, obtained from the de- partment of anatomy, Armed Forces Medical College, Pune, India. After excluding fragmented bones, bones with incomplete ossification, with any signs of gross pathology or distortion, a total 260 bones were included in the study. Out of 100 hu- meri, 56 were right and 44 left, 80 ra- dii (40 left and 40 right) and 80 ulnae (40 right and 40 left). The NF was identified by the groove leading to NF. Similarly slight- ly raised margins at edges of the NF also helped in its identification. A 26-gauge needle was passed through the foramen to confirm its direction (see Figure 1). In case of presence of multiple foramina, the largest NF was considered to be principal NF. Location, direction and number of NF as well as its topography in relation to borders and surfaces of Abstract Introduction The aim of the study was to evaluate the number and position of the nutri- ent foramina in the humerus, radius and ulna of dry bones of Indian origin and correlate the findings clinically. Materials and Methods Among 260 bones studied, 100 (56 right and 44 left) were humeri and 80 (40 left and 40 right) radii and 80 ulnae (40 left and 40 right). Location and number of nutrient foramina were analysed, and length of bone, distance of nutrient foramina from proximal end of bone, anteropos- terior and transverse diameters at the level of nutrient foramina were measured. Statistical analysis was performed for central tendency. Stu- dent’s t-test was used to assess statis- tically significant correlation between number of nutrient foramina and size of bone. Foraminal index was calculated using Hughes formula. Results All bones had nutrient foramina directed towards the elbow. Mean distances of nutrient foramina from proximal ends were 17.70 ± 2.12, 8.39 ± 2.33 and 9.00 ± 1.55 cm for humerus, radius and ulna, respec- tively. Nutrient foramen was absent in 4% humeri, 5% radii and 3.75% ulnae, and double in 4% humeri and 2.5% radii. No correlation was found between number of nutrient forami- na and size of bones, i.e. length or di- ameter. Majority (76.92%) of bones had nutrient foramina in the middle third of the shaft; whereas the distal third was a rare position. Nutrient foramina were most commonly pre- sent in the anteromedial surface for the humerus (67%) and anterior surface for both radius (66.25%) and ulna (76.62%). Conclusion The study provides important in- formation about morphology and topography of nutrient foramina in upper limb long bones and knowl- edge of which is useful in planning orthopaedic procedures. Introduction The nutrient artery is a principal source of blood supply to long bones and is particularly important during their active growth period in the em- bryo and foetus, as well as during the early phase of ossification 1 . Nutrient foramen (NF), through which the nutrient artery enters the bone, is directed obliquely, and edges of the oblique part are elevated for en- trance of the nutrient artery 2,3 . NF is always directed away from the grow- ing end, commonly explained by the phrase ‘seek the elbow and flee from the knee’, and this can be explained on the basis of a simple fact that the artery has to slant towards that end of the bone which grows slower. Knowledge about precise location and direction of the nutrient artery of long bones with its common varia- tions is of supreme importance during any surgical or orthopaedic proce- dures of limbs, such as bone grafts and microsurgical vascular bone transplantations 4 . Although few re- ports are available on morphological Clinical Anatomy