title: The patellofemoral joint: do age and gender affect skeletal maturation of the osseous morphology in children?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The osseous morphology of the patellofemoral joint is an independent factor that affects the biomechanics of patellofemoral instability.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study is to determine age- and gender-related differences in the osseous morphology of the patellofemoral joint in children during skeletal maturation.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was approved by the institutional review board and was HIPAA-compliant. We included 97 children and young adults (age range 5-22 years; 51 girls and 46 boys, mean ages 14.3 years and 13.7 years, respectively). We studied 1.5-T knee MR exams, measuring the osseous morphology of the patellofemoral joint (lateral trochlear inclination, trochlear facet asymmetry, trochlear depth, patellar height ratio, tibial tubercle-trochlear groove distance, and lateral patellofemoral angle) for each MR exam. We compared measurements to published values for patellofemoral instability. Physeal patency (open or closing/closed) was determined on MR. We assessed the associations between MR osseous measurements and gender, age and physeal patency using Wilcoxon rank sum test and least square means regression models.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The osseous patellofemoral joint morphology measurements were all within a normal range. There were no significant correlations between MR osseous measurements and age, gender or physeal patency.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  During skeletal maturation, age and gender do not affect the osseous morphology or congruency of the patellofemoral joint.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, 3333 Burnet Ave., Cincinnati, OH, 45229-3039, USA, Hee.Kim@cchmc.org.
authors.forename: Hee Kyung
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Sahar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shiraj
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Anton
authors.forename: Paul S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Horn
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000375:Aging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005269:Femur / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000254:growth & development*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D010329:Patella / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000254:growth & development*; D057071:Patellofemoral Joint / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000254:growth & development*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012737:Sex Factors; D055815:Young Adult