Sagittal patellar flexion angle: a novel clinically validated patellar height measurement reflecting patellofemoral kinematics useful throughout knee flexion

Abstract

Purpose: Patellar height measurements on lateral radiographs are dependent on knee flexion which makes standardisation of measurements difficult. This study described a plain radiographic measurement of patellar sagittal height which reflects patellofemoral joint kinematics and can be used at all degrees of flexion.

Methods: The study had two parts. Part one involved 44 normal subjects to define equations for expected patellar position based on the knee flexion angles for three new patellar height measurements. A mixed model regression with random effect for individual was used to define linear and polynomial equations for expected patellar position relating to three novel measurements of patella height: (1) patellar progression angle (trochlea), (2) patellar progression angle (condyle) and (3) sagittal patellar flexion. Part two was retrospective and involved applying these measurements to a surgical cohort to identify differences between expected and measured patellar position pre- and post-operatively.

Results: All three measurements provided insight into patellofemoral kinematics. Sagittal patellar flexion was the most useful with the least residual error, was the most reliable, and demonstrated the greatest detection clinically.

Conclusions: Clinically applied radiographic measurements have been described for patellar height which reflect the sagittal motion of the patella and can be used regardless of the degree of flexion in which the radiograph was taken. The expected sagittal patellar flexion linear equation should be used to calculate expected patellar height.

Level of evidence: IV.

Keywords: Patella; Patella alta; Patellar dislocation; Patellar height; Patellar instability.