title: ASSESSMENT OF PATELLAR HEIGHT MEASUREMENT METHODS FROM DIGITAL RADIOGRAPHY.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze the most common methods for measuring patellar height and the impact of observer experience in correlations with the other observers using digital radiography.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty digital radiographs of the knee in lateral view were analyzed by four observers: a physician in the second year of medical residence in orthopedics (R2); a physician in the third year of medical residence in orthopedics (R3); an orthopedic surgeon who was a specialist in knee surgery (SK); and a radiologist who was a specialist in musculoskeletal radiology (SR). The indices used were: Insall-Salvati (IS), Blackburne-Peel (BP), Caton-Deschamps (CD) and modified Insall-Salvati (ISM). The interobserver agreement was calculated using the kappa coefficient (κ).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The highest correlation coefficients were found when using the IS method followed by the CD method. The worst correlation was observed in the ISM method. The highest interobserver agreement was found between the orthopedic surgeon specializing in knee surgery and the radiologist specializing in musculoskeletal radiology, for the four measurement methods used.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Using digital radiography, the Insall-Salvati and Caton-Deschamps indexes presented the highest interobserver agreement, and this was also positively influenced by the observer's level of experience.
authors.affiliation: Third-year Resident Physician in the Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, EPM/UNIFESP, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Guilherme Conforto
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Gracitelli
authors.affiliation: Third-year Resident Physician in the Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, EPM/UNIFESP, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pierami
authors.affiliation: Third-year Resident Physician in the Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, EPM/UNIFESP, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Thomaz Antonio
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Tonelli
authors.affiliation: Orthopedist in the Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, EPM/UNIFESP, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Guilherme Guadagnini
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Falótico
authors.affiliation: Radiologist in the Department of Imaging Diagnostics, EPM/UNIFESP, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Flavio Duarte
authors.initials: FD
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.affiliation: Orthopedist in the Knee Group, Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, EPM/UNIFESP, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Gilberto Yoshinobu
authors.initials: GY
authors.lastname: Nakama
authors.affiliation: PhD; Orthopedists in the Knee Group, Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, EPM/UNIFESP, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Carlos Eduardo
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: da Silveira Franciozi
authors.affiliation: MSc; Orthopedist in the Knee Group, Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, EPM/UNIFESP, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Antonio Altenor Bessa
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: de Queiroz
authors.affiliation: PhD; Affiliated Professor and Head of the Knee Group, Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, EPM/UNIFESP, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Mario Carneiro
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Filho
keywords: Knee; Patella; Radiographic Image Enhancement