Bony spurs projecting in the obturator foramen

Abstract

The obturator foramen is large oval aperture in males or irregularly triangular aperture in females in the hipbone, situated anteroinferior to the acetabulum between the pubis and ischium. The dry bone under study is a male left sided hipbone. It contains the obturator groove through which the obturator nerve and vessels pass. During analysis of hipbones in the osteology laboratory of CSM Medical University Lucknow, UP, India, a hipbone was found in which bony spurs or exostoses were projecting from the margins into the obturator foramen. These bony projections in the obturator foramen constitute a new anatomical variant in the hipbone, as they have not been reported before. These bony spurs may impinge on the obturator nerve and vessels causing neurovascular complications and also trauma to the soft tissues during biomechanical movements. In addition, these bony spurs may cause spasms of the obturator internus and externus muscles, causing groin pain. These bony projections may also lead to misinterpretation of radiographs. Thus, knowledge of these bony spurs is of paramount importance to anatomists, surgeons, sport physicians, and radiologists.