Patellofemoral joint geometry and osteoarthritis features 3–10 years after knee injury compared with uninjured knees

Abstract

In this cross‐sectional study, we compared patellofemoral geometry in individuals with a youth‐sport‐related intra‐articular knee injury to uninjured individuals, and the association between patellofemoral geometry and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)‐defined osteoarthritis (OA) features. In the Youth Prevention of Early OA (PrE‐OA) cohort, we assessed 10 patellofemoral geometry measures in individuals 3–10 years following injury compared with uninjured individuals of similar age, sex, and sport, using mixed effects linear regression. We also dichotomized geometry to identify extreme (>1.96 standard deviations) features and assessed likelihood of having extreme values using Poisson regression. Finally, we evaluated the associations between patellofemoral geometry with MRI‐defined OA features using restricted cubic spline regression. Mean patellofemoral geometry did not differ substantially between groups. However, compared with uninjured individuals, injured individuals were more likely to have extremely large sulcus angle (prevalence ratio [PR] 3.9 [95% confidence interval, CI: 2.3, 6.6]), and shallow lateral trochlear inclination (PR 4.3 (1.1, 17.9)) and trochlear depth (PR 5.3 (1.6, 17.4)). In both groups, high bisect offset (PR 1.7 [1.3, 2.1]) and sulcus angle (PR 4.0 [2.3, 7.0]) were associated with cartilage lesion, and most geometry measures were associated with at least one structural feature, especially cartilage lesions and osteophytes. We observed no interaction between geometry and injury. Certain patellofemoral geometry features are correlated with higher prevalence of structural lesions compared with injury alone, 3–10 years following knee injury. Hypotheses generated in this study, once further evaluated, could contribute to identifying higher‐risk individuals who may benefit from targeted treatment aimed at preventing posttraumatic OA.

Morphological analysis of patellofemoral joint in haemophilic arthropathy: A case‐control study

“…Although studies on the impact of trochlear morphology on knee pathologies often focus on extreme disorders leading to patellofemoral dislocation, it has been reported that extreme sulcus angles and shallow lateral trochlear inclination may predispose individuals to knee injuries. 24 Another study suggested that an increase in patellar tilt is associated with a higher risk of posterior cruciate ligament injury. 26 Whilst trochlear morphology has not consistently shown an association with knee pain in native knees, there is currently no study investigating how this relationship might manifest in individuals with haemophilia.…”

“…In order to proportionally reveal the morphological differences occurring in the patellofemoral joint, ratios such as pML/SA, SD/LCL, MFC-LFC/LFL, mFL/LFL and ID/LCL were also calculated. [23][24][25] The study employed two distinct analytical approaches to examine the relationship between arthropathy severity and measured variables.…”

“…In order to proportionally reveal the morphological differences occurring in the patellofemoral joint, ratios such as pML/SA, SD/LCL, MFC-LFC/LFL, mFL/LFL and ID/LCL were also calculated. [23][24][25] The…”