The Increased Femoral Neck Anteversion in Medieval Cemetery of Pecenjevce. Aetiology and Differential Diagnosis in Archaeological Context Anteversión Femoral Aumentada En El Cementerio Medieval De Pecenjevce. Etiología Y Diagnóstico Diferencial En El Contexto Arqueológico

The femoral neck anteversion (FNA) is defined as the angle between the longitudinal axis of the neck of a femur and the axis passing horizontally through femoral condyles. However, there is no data regarding this feature in archaeological populations. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate FNA in a medieval skeletal population from Serbia. According to the results the analysed angle ranged from 11 to 24 degrees in adults, apart from only one individual with significantly increased femoral neck anteversion of nearly 60 degrees. The discussion of the present paper is focused on the differential diagnosis of this condition and its aetiology, especially outlining diagnostic limitations when dealing with dry bones. Finally, the most probable aetiology of increased FNA in our case is the asymmetric form of cerebral palsy. Overall, the traces of various orthopaedic and neuromuscular disorders in past human populations could be revealed by systematic recording of the femoral neck anteversion during anthropological analyses.