Exostoses in obturator foramen - an osteological study

The obturator foramen is an oval or round opening in the lateral pelvic bone and is normally closed by the obturator membrane, a connective tissue membrane. The foramen is considered to be an important anatomical structure, as it serves as the attachment site for the internal and external obturator muscles and allows passage for the obturator vessels and nerves through the obturator canal. Exostoses, also known as bone spurs, are bony growths that can occur on the surfaces of bones. Since the prevalence of exostoses in the obturator foramen is unknown, the aim of our study was to analyse the prevalence, localisation and morphology of obturator foramen exostoses in German body donors.

We examined anonymised human dry specimens with a minimum donor age of 60 years from the anatomical collection of the Institute of Anatomy of Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany.

Exostoses in the obturator foramen were found in 21 out of 221 hip bones (9.5%), with the right side being affected twice as often as the left. The exostoses varied markedly in number and severity, and were more frequent in the medial area of the obturator foramen. Based on their manifestations, the exostoses were classified into three types.

Although not primarily a disease, exostoses can cause complications such as nerve compression syndrome, local inflammatory reactions, movement restrictions, diagnostic challenges, and surgical complications. Our study aimed to raise awareness of exostoses in the obturator foramen, aiding physicians in recognising and diagnosing these ossifications to prevent complications during medical interventions.