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. 2022 Nov 15;14(11):e31534.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.31534. eCollection 2022 Nov.

Prevalence and Radiological Characteristics of the Fabella in Turkish Population

Hakan Özbay  1 , Hamisi M Mraja  2 , Ata Can  3 , Fahri Erdoğan  3
Affiliations

Prevalence and Radiological Characteristics of the Fabella in Turkish Population

Hakan Özbay et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Background: This study aimed to evaluate and analyze the prevalence and radiological characteristics of the fabella in the Turkish population, detecting differences between genders by examining magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images of subjects.

Methods: A total number of 504 patients aged >18 years who were admitted to the orthopedics and traumatology clinic between November 2018 and October 2020 were included in this retrospective cross-sectional study. Bilateral MRI images that were taken from each patient were randomly selected. Age, sex, laterality (right or left knee), and size of the fabella were retrieved from institutional database records. P-value<0.05 is considered statistically significant.

Results: A total of 504 patients were included with 213 males and 291 females. The overall prevalence of fabella was 20.63%. The mean length, thickness, and width of the fabella were 6.05 mm, 4.63 mm, and 5.92 mm, respectively, in the overall population. The fabella was significantly wider, thicker, and longer in males compared to females in the Turkish population.

Conclusion: This study revealed similar prevalence rates of the fabella in the Turkish population with Caucasian populations and similar size of the fabella in the Asian population. When different prevalence rates and sizes of the fabella among different ethnic populations are considered, it is critical to understand the prevalence or radiological features of the fabella in Turkish subjects to avoid misinterpretation of fabella diseases.

Keywords: fabella; gastrocnemius muscle; knee mri; prevalence; sesamoid bone.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Sagittal proton density-weighted (A) and proton density fat-saturated (B) MRI views demonstrating the measurement of fabella’s length (*) and thickness (**).
Figure 2
Figure 2. T2 (A) and axial proton density fat-saturated (B) MRI views demonstrating the measurement of fabella’s width using the double arrow.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Sagittal proton density-weighted (A) and proton density fat-saturated (B) MRI views demonstrating the measurement of the distance between fabella to the insertion point of the lateral head of the gastrocnemius muscle (LG) using the double arrow.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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