The association of patellar maltracking with infrapatellar fat pad edema and chondromalacia patella: A quantitative morphological magnetic resonance imaging analysis

Özet

Objectives: This study aims to investigate the relationship of patellofemoral joint morphology with infrapatellar fat pad edema andchondromalacia patella (CP) using patellar maltracking parameters on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).Patients and methods: Between January 2010 and January 2013, 50 patients with edema in the superolateral portion of the infrapatellarfat pad (the study group) and control group (n=50) with a normal infrapatellar fat pad were identified on MRI to compare with regard tofive patellar maltracking parameters retrospectively. These parameters were trochlear depth, the trochlear sulcus angle (TSA), patellartranslation, the lateral patellofemoral angle (PFA), and the Insall-Salvati ratio. The relationship between patellar maltracking and the CP wasalso evaluated using the same parameters.Results: In the study group, the Insall-Salvati index and TSA were significantly higher (p=0.001), and the trochlear depth and PFA werelow (p=0.001, p=0.01), while patellar translation showed no difference (p=0.957). In the CP group, the Insall-Salvati index and TSA weresignificantly high (p=0.001), the trochlear depth was low (p=0.001). No statistically significant difference was found in PFA and patellartranslation (p=0.292, p=0.446).Conclusion: Our study results suggest that edema in the superolateral portion of infrapatellar fat pad and CP are associated with patellarmaltracking.