The Fabella: a forgotten source of knee pain?

Robertson, Angus; Jones, Scott; Paes, Rabi; Chakrabarty, G.

doi:10.1016/s0968-0160(03)00103-0

Cited by 46 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…The review of the literature searching the PubMed online data revealed five case reports and three studies with more than 10 patients in each paper [8-10,12,14,16,17,21]. …”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The fabella syndrome - a rare cause of posterolateral knee pain: a review of the literature and two case reports

Driessen

Balke

Offerhaus³

et al. 2014

BMC Musculoskelet Disord

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BackgroundThe purpose of this article was to evaluate the risks and benefits of non-operative treatment versus surgical excision of a fabella causing posterolateral knee pain. We performed a systematic review of literature and also present two case reports.Twelve publications were found in a PubMed literature review searching the word “fabella syndrome”. Non-operative treatment and surgical excision of the fabella has been described.Case presentationTwo patients presented to our outpatient clinic with persisting posterolateral knee pain. In both cases the presence of a fabella was identified, located in close proximity to the posterolateral femoral condyle. All other common causes of intra- and extra articular pathologies possibly causing the posterolateral knee pain were excluded.Following failure to respond to physiotherapy both patients underwent arthroscopy which excluded other possible causes for posterolateral knee pain. The decision was made to undertake surgical excision of the fabella in both cases without complication.Both patients were examined 6 month and one year after surgery with the Tegner activity score, the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), and International Knee Documentation Committee Score (IKDC).ConclusionConsistent posterolateral pain during exercise might indicate the presence of a fabella syndrome. Resecting the fabella can be indicated and is a minor surgical procedure with minimal risk. Despite good results in the literature posterolateral knee pain can persist and prevent return to a high level of sports. Level of evidence: IV, case reports and analysis of literature.

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“…The review of the literature searching the PubMed online data revealed five case reports and three studies with more than 10 patients in each paper [8-10,12,14,16,17,21]. …”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The fabella syndrome - a rare cause of posterolateral knee pain: a review of the literature and two case reports

Driessen

Balke

Offerhaus³

et al. 2014

BMC Musculoskelet Disord

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“…The fabella can be involved in a number of pathological conditions at different age groups [10, 11]. Among those conditions, the most reported are traumatic and stress fractures of the fabella, total knee arthroplasty-related fabellar impingement or snapping [2, 6], chondromalacia fabellae [7, 10], tendinitis of the lateral head of the gastrocnemius muscle, primary osteoarthritis, compression of the thickened gastrocnemius tendon against the femoral condyle, and peroneal nerve irritation/compression [1, 8].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fracture of the Fabella: A Rare Injury in Knee Trauma

Barreto

Chagas-Neto

Crema

et al. 2012

Case Reports in Radiology

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We present a case of a 21-year-old woman sustaining a traumatic [fabellar] fracture following a motor vehicle accident. The fabellar fracture was confirmed on plain films, which prompted further evaluation of the knee with ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging to evaluate other possible associated injuries. Fracture of the fabella is a rare condition. Clinically, patients present with posterolateral knee pain, edema, and limited knee extension. Occasionally these symptoms may be very subtle, delaying the correct diagnosis and patient management.

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“…A bony, but not an elastic-textured, fabella has been found to correlate with thickening of the fabellofibular ligament to strengthen the posterolateral corner of the knee [11]. The fabella has also been associated with pathologic conditions, causing pain [15] and/or osteoarthritis [14,19]. Overall, the adult morphology of the fabella seems not to be stable.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%