Association Between Femoral Trochlear Groove Measurements and Chondral Injuries of the Patellofemoral Joint
Volkan Kizilgoz1, Gokhan Ragip Ulusoy21Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Kafkas University, Kars, Turkey, 2Department of Orthopaedics, Faculty of Medicine, Kafkas University, Kars, Turkey
Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the relationship of trochlear sulcus angle (TSA) and trochlear sulcus depth (TSD) of the femur with the presence of chondral injury at the patellofemoral joint (CIP). Methods: In total, 509 knee magnetic resonance (MR) images of 436 patients were evaluated for TSA and TSD by two reviewers. The patients were divided into two groups based on the presence or absence of CIP. Two reviewers independently measured TSA and TSD on the MR images. Independent samples t-test was used to compare the results of patients with and without CIP. Analysis of variance and Tukey’s tests were used to evaluate differences between the control group and patients with mild CIP and severe CIP. Receiver operating characteristics (ROCs) were used to find the possible cutoff value of TSA and TSD to determine the presence of CIP. Results: Significant differences in TSA and TSD values were found between patients with and without CIP (p<0.001). ROC analysis showed that a TSA cutoff value of 141.83° had 61.5% sensitivity and 76.8% specificity for detecting CIP. Conclusion: Patient and control groups showed significant differences in TSA and TSD values. There was no significant difference in TSA and TSD values between mild and severe CIP groups. A TSA of 141.83° may be used as the cutoff value to determine possible CIP on knee MR images. Keywords: Articular cartilage defects, chondromalacia patella, femoral trochlea, knee instability, MRI, patella.
Cite This Article
Kizilgoz V, Ulusoy G. Association Between Femoral Trochlear Groove Measurements and Chondral Injuries of the Patellofemoral Joint. EJMI. 2019; 3(2): 144-149
Corresponding Author: Volkan Kizilgoz