Association Between Femoral Trochlear Groove Measurements and Chondral Injuries of the Patellofemoral Joint

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the relationship of trochlear sulcus angle (TSA) and trochlear sulcus depth (TSD) of the femur with the presence of chondral injury at the patellofemoral joint (CIP).Methods: In total, 509 knee magnetic resonance (MR) images of 436 patients were evaluated for TSA and TSD by two reviewers. The patients were divided into two groups based on the presence or absence of CIP. Two reviewers inde-pendently measured TSA and TSD on the MR images. Independent samples t-test was used to compare the results of patients with and without CIP. Analysis of variance and Tukey’s tests were used to evaluate differences between the control group and patients with mild CIP and severe CIP. Receiver operating characteristics (ROCs) were used to find the possible cutoff value of TSA and TSD to determine the presence of CIP.Results: Significant differences in TSA and TSD values were found between patients with and without CIP (p