Can modified Dunn radiographs be an alternative to standing AP pelvis radiographs in the evaluation of pincer femoroacetabular impingement?

The purpose of this study was to compare modified Dunn radiographs with standing anteroposterior (AP) pelvis radiographs in respect of the tilt ratio, lateral centre-edge angle (LCEA), crossover sign, crossover percentage and joint space width measurements. The study hypothesis was that modified Dunn radiographs could be an alternative method to standing AP pelvis images in the evaluation of pincer-type femoroacetabular impingement (FAI). The study included 31 patients with a mean age of 42 years (range: 29–55 years) who had modified Dunn and standing AP pelvis radiographs taken in the radiological evaluation of non-traumatic hip pain between July 2018 and September 2022. Similar tilt ratio values were obtained on standing AP and modified Dunn images (P = 0.986). Joint space width showed a decrease in the transition from the modified Dunn position to the standing position, but the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.161). The mean LCEA was measured as 34° ± 4° in the standing position and as 35° ± 5° in the modified Dunn position. No statistically significant difference was determined in the number of patients with a crossover sign or the crossover percentage values in these patients (P > 0.05). The data obtained in this study showed that there was no significant difference between images taken in the standing and modified Dunn positions in respect of radiological findings of pelvic tilt and pincer-type FAI. The modified Dunn radiograph is equivalent to the standing AP pelvis radiograph for the evaluation of pincer FAI.