A comparison of different studies is only possible if the same guidelines are used. However, due to the rather imprecise description of the different nonmetric traits on the anterior femoral neck (i.e., Allen's fossa, femoral plaque, Poirier's facet), it is impossible to compare the results of different authors. This is especially the case for the variant called Allen's fossa or cervical fossa of Allen, which has severely been mistaken in a lot of previous studies. As a consequence, a clarified and more detailed definition of this variant is required what enables the comparison of the results of different investigators. This study gives a detailed overview on the variety of different terms, which are often used simultaneously. The aim of the study is to develop a clarified definition of the term Allen's fossa, including the description of any sex- or age-related differences, based on morphological examinations of archaeological skeletal remains from Karacamirli (Azerbaijan), Unterigling (Germany), and Ur (Iraq). Allen's fossa is shown to be usually bilaterally present in individuals of all age classes, including infants and rather old individuals, without any signs of modifications with increasing age. In addition, the variant is present in both sexes with the same manifestation. These findings are in contrast to other studies, what is very likely the result of previously mistaken variants. The study provides a detailed definition of Allen's fossa and a clear distinction from other variants at the femoral neck. The presented guidelines will allow a better comparability between different investigators in further studies. Individual differences, including vascular deficits and pathological conditions, can cause a considerable amount of variations in the manifestation of Allen's fossa, which is most likely caused by grinding of the zona orbicularis on the femoral neck.

中文翻译：

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Allen 窝——试图解决股骨前颈不同非度量变异的混淆

只有使用相同的指南才能对不同的研究进行比较。然而，由于对股骨前颈（即Allen 窝、股骨斑块、Poirier 小关节）不同非度量特征的描述相当不准确，因此无法比较不同作者的结果。这是特别为所谓的变型的情况下阿伦的窝或阿伦的颈部窝，这在以前的许多研究中都被严重错误。因此，需要对该变体进行澄清和更详细的定义，以便能够比较不同调查人员的结果。本研究详细概述了经常同时使用的各种不同术语。这项研究的目的是开发期限的明确定义，艾伦的窝，其中的任何性别或年龄相关的差异说明，基于从Karacamirli（阿塞拜疆），Unterigling（德国）考古遗骸的形态考试，乌尔（伊拉克）。艾伦的窝显示通常双侧存在于所有年龄段的个体中，包括婴儿和老年个体，随着年龄的增长没有任何改变的迹象。此外，该变体存在于具有相同表现的两性中。这些发现与其他研究形成对比，这很可能是先前错误变异的结果。该研究提供了艾伦窝的详细定义，并与股骨颈的其他变体有明显区别。所提出的指南将使不同研究人员在进一步研究中具有更好的可比性。个体差异，包括血管缺陷和病理状况，可导致艾伦窝表现的相当多的差异，这很可能是由磨削股骨颈上的轮匝带引起的。