Study of the joint space of the hip on supine and weight-bearing digital radiographs

AIM: To compare hip joint space on supine and weight-hearing anteroposterio r digital radiographs, MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty anteroposterior views of the hip in 25 patient s were taken in supine and weight-bearing positions on a fluoroscopic unit. Two observers in a double-blind study assessed the width of the joint spac e on an Easy Vision unit with an indirect method of measurement (metric ind ex). RESULTS: Inter-observer and intra-observer variabilities of the metric inde x were less than 4.1%; There was no significant difference of the metric in dex of the hip (P > 0.05), between supine and weight-bearing positions, CONCLUSION: There is no significant difference of the width of the joint sp ace of the hip between supine and weight-bearing anteroposterior radiograph s. Measuring joint space loss in osteoarthritis of the hip with anteroposte rior views should be done with radiographs of the hip in the supine positio n to improve image quality.