title: A cadaveric investigation into the demographic and bony alignment properties associated with osteoarthritis of the patellofemoral joint.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Patellofemoral joint osteoarthritis is common, although circumstances dictating its evolution and pathogenesis remain unclear. Advances in surgical technique have improved the ability to modify long-bone alignment in the coronal, sagittal, and axial planes. However, to our knowledge, there is no significant long-term data available in regard to the relationship between anatomic alignment parameters most amenable to surgical modification and patellofemoral joint osteoarthritis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Five-hundred and seventy-one cadaveric skeletons were obtained from the Hamann-Todd osteological collection. Mechanical lateral distal femoral angle, medial proximal tibial angle, tibial slope, femoral version, tibial torsion, the position of the tibial tubercle relative to the width of the tibial plateau, trochlear depth, and patellar size were measured using validated techniques. A previously published grading system for patellofemoral joint arthritis was used to quantify macroscopic signs of degenerative joint disease.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Increasing age (standardized beta 0.532, p<0.001), female gender (standardized beta 0.201, p=0.002), and decreasing mechanical lateral distal femoral angle (standardized beta -0.128, p=0.025) were independent correlates of increased patellofemoral joint osteoarthritis. A relatively more laterally positioned tibial tubercle trended towards predicting patellofemoral joint osteoarthritis (standardized beta 0.080, p=0.089).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings confirm that patellofemoral joint osteoarthritis is strongly associated with increasing age and female gender. Valgus alignment of the distal femur, a relatively more lateral location of the tibial tubercle, and a shallower trochlear grove appear to have modest effects on the development of patellofemoral joint osteoarthritis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Division of Pediatric Orthopaedics, University Hospitals Case Medical Center, Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, USA. Electronic address: Dsw56@case.edu.
authors.forename: Douglas S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Weinberg
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Division of Pediatric Orthopaedics, University Hospitals Case Medical Center, Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Braden J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Tucker
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Division of Pediatric Orthopaedics, University Hospitals Case Medical Center, Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Joseph P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Drain
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Division of Pediatric Orthopaedics, University Hospitals Case Medical Center, Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, USA.
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Division of Pediatric Orthopaedics, University Hospitals Case Medical Center, Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Allison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gilmore
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Division of Pediatric Orthopaedics, University Hospitals Case Medical Center, Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Raymond W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D017760:Bone Malalignment / Q000150:complications; D002102:Cadaver; D005260:Female; D005269:Femur / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020370:Osteoarthritis, Knee / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D010329:Patella / Q000473:pathology; D057071:Patellofemoral Joint / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000473:pathology*; D012737:Sex Factors; D013977:Tibia / Q000473:pathology
keywords: Degenerative joint disease; MPTA; Osteotomy; Patellofemoral joint arthritis; Tibial tubercle; mLDFA