Supratrochlear Rim is Correlated with Isolated Patellar Chondromalacia on Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Knee

Artur Banach; Nobuhiko Hata; Ross Crawford; Tomasz Piontek

doi:10.1016/j.asmr.2023.100855

Supratrochlear Rim is Correlated with Isolated Patellar Chondromalacia on Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Knee

Arthrosc Sports Med Rehabil. 2024 Feb 1;6(2):100855. doi: 10.1016/j.asmr.2023.100855. eCollection 2024 Apr.

Authors

Artur Banach¹, Nobuhiko Hata¹, Ross Crawford², Tomasz Piontek^{3

4}

Affiliations

¹ National Center for Image-guided Therapy, Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
² Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia The Prince Charles Hospital, Brisbane, Australia.
³ Department of Spine Disorders and Pediatric Orthopedics, University of Medical Sciences, Poznan, Poland.
⁴ Rehasport Clinic, Poznan, Poland.

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the relationship between the supratrochlear rim and isolated patellar chondromalacia (PC) using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of the knee.

Methods: Patients without patellofemoral pain (control group) and patients with patellofemoral pain and diagnosed with stage III or IV PC based on MRI (defect group) were retrospectively identified. Patients with a history of patellar subluxation were excluded. We used patient MRI scans to perform 20 anatomical measurements of the patellofemoral joint. We also performed 2 measurements of the anterior femoral curvature. A total of 30 patients (29 ± 8.7 years) were in the control group, and 20 patients were in the defect group (29.4 ± 9.7 years).

Results: The maximum curvature (P < .001) and mean curvature (P < .001) of the anterior femoral condyle were found statistically significantly different between the groups. Patellotrochlear index (P = .03) and Insall-Salvati index (P < .001) were also found statistically significantly different between the 2 groups. Patella type III and trochlear dysplasia grade B were found more common in the defect group.

Conclusions: In this Level III prognostic, case-control study, we have shown through MRI knee measurements that the isolated patellar chondromalacia in patients without a history of patellar subluxation and dislocation is correlated with the increased anterior femoral curvature in combination with patella alta.