Morphometric Analysis of Sexual and Lateral Dimorphism in the Anterior Border of the Human Hip Bone: Implications for Anatomical Variation and Clinical Applications.

INTRODUCTION: A comprehensive understanding of the normal morphometric variation of the hip bone is crucial for both anatomical science and clinical practice. While sexual dimorphism is well-established, detailed analysis of bilateral asymmetry and its interaction with sex in the anterior pelvic region remains less explored. This study aims to conduct a detailed morphometric analysis of the anterior hip border, quantifying both sexual and lateral dimorphism. METHODS: An observational study was conducted on 88 adult human hip bones (44 male, 44 female), with equal representation from right and left sides. Eight linear parameters of the anterior border were measured using digital Vernier calipers. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 23.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, United States). Sexual dimorphism was assessed with independent samples t-tests, while lateral dimorphism (right-left asymmetry) was evaluated using paired samples t-tests within each sex. A two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was employed to investigate the interaction between sex and side. RESULTS: Significant sexual dimorphism was observed in all eight parameters (p<0.001 for all), with male bones exhibiting larger mean dimensions. Analysis of lateral dimorphism revealed no statistically significant difference between the right and left sides in either males or females for any of the measured parameters (p>0.05 for all). The two-way ANOVA confirmed a significant main effect of sex (p<0.001) but no significant main effect of side or sex-side interaction, indicating that the observed dimorphism is driven solely by sex without notable bilateral asymmetry. CONCLUSION: The anterior border of the hip bone exhibits pronounced and consistent sexual dimorphism without significant lateral asymmetry. This consistency between sides reinforces the reliability of these metric parameters for applications requiring bilateral comparison, such as preoperative surgical planning for procedures like total hip arthroplasty or pelvic osteotomy, and in forensic identification. The findings provide a robust baseline of normal anatomical variation for the North Indian population.