title: CT-based morphological analysis of the posterior femoral condyle in patients with trochlear dysplasia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The anterior part of the distal femur in trochlear dysplasia has been well investigated; however, to date, posterior morphological characteristics have not been well studied. This study aimed to evaluate whether the posterior femoral condyle in patients with trochlear dysplasia differs from those without trochlear dysplasia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Computed tomography scans of 75 knees with trochlear dysplasia and 55 knees with normal anatomy of the patellofemoral joint were analyzed retrospectively. Three observers assessed the width, length, and height of the posterior condyle between the two groups. The intra-class correlation coefficient was used to evaluate inter-observer reliability. The independent Student's t-test was used to assess the statistical significance of the qualitative variables.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was excellent inter-observer reliability (intra-class correlation coefficient 0.91-0.99) for all of the quantitative measurements. There were significant differences between trochlear dysplastic and normal knees. The trochlear dysplasia group had a larger medial posterior condyle and smaller lateral posterior condyle than the control group. Furthermore, proportion of the posterior condyle in the distal femur markedly differed between the two groups: in the trochlear dysplasia group, the medial posterior condyle accounted for a bigger proportion, while the lateral posterior condyle accounted for a smaller proportion.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with trochlear dysplasia have different posterior femoral condyles compared with those without trochlear dysplasia. Patients with this condition have bigger medial posterior condyles and smaller lateral posterior condyles. A greater amount of attention needs to be paid to this abnormality.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University, 139 Ziqiang Road, Shijiazhuang 050051, Hebei, China.
authors.forename: Xiaohui
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University, 139 Ziqiang Road, Shijiazhuang 050051, Hebei, China.
authors.forename: Gang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University, 139 Ziqiang Road, Shijiazhuang 050051, Hebei, China.
authors.forename: Xinmin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University, 139 Ziqiang Road, Shijiazhuang 050051, Hebei, China.
authors.forename: Huijun
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University, 139 Ziqiang Road, Shijiazhuang 050051, Hebei, China. Electronic address: doctorwf@yeah.net.
authors.forename: Fei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001848:Bone Diseases, Developmental / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D005269:Femur / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D007592:Joint Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000151:congenital; D007593:Joint Instability / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D009139:Musculoskeletal Abnormalities / Q000150:complications; D015588:Observer Variation; D057071:Patellofemoral Joint / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Patellofemoral disorder; Posterior condyle; Trochlear dysplasia