[A morphometric study of the femoro-patellar joint from lateral x-ray view].
OBJECTIVE
The goal of this study was to specify criteria of femoro-patellar joint normality on lateral view.


METHODS
This study was based on radiological examination of 102 knees in 51 adults (average age 26.1 years). It concerned 29 women and 22 men that had never suffered from their knee and were supposed healthy.


METHODS
The radiological protocol was the following: a lateral view at 45 degrees of flexion, two lateral views in extension, with and without quadriceps contraction. The analysis was focused on patellar surface aspect, its height, its depth and covering measurement.


RESULTS
We found 83.7 per cent of so-called "normal" patellar surface, and 12.7 per cent of "abnormal" patellar surface (dysplasia) in the absence of pain.


CONCLUSIONS
We have confirmed figures advanced in others series of the literature concerning patellar height and patellar surface, as well as patellar surface depth and covering. We have underlined the interest of lateral views; in extension with quadriceps contracted and relaxed. Finally, we have defined a trochleo-patellar sign that allows to correlate patellar height to patellar surface height (ITP = 0.35 to 0.84).


CONCLUSIONS
This study insists on the interest of radiological lateral views of the knee and determine criteria for normalities.
Picard
F
F
Service de Chirurgie Orthopédique et de Traumatologie du Sport, CHU de Grenoble, Hôpital Sud.
Saragaglia
D
D
Montbarbon
E
E
Tourne
Y
Y
Charbel
A
A
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010329:Patella / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D011859:Radiography; D012016:Reference Values
Etude morphométrique de l'articulation fémoro-patellaire à partir de l'incidence radiologique de profil.