Abstract
A number of measurements of patellar height are in clinical use all of which reference from the tibia. The patellotrochlear index has been proposed recently as a more accurate reflection of the functional height of the patella and described in normal knees.
We compared patellar height measurements in patients with patellofemoral dysplasia.
In a retrospective analysis of the MRI scans of 33 knees in 29 patients with patellofemoral dysplasia we assessed the inter- and intraobserver reliability of four patellar height measurements: the recently described Patellotrochlear Index (PTI), Insall-Salvati (IS), Blackburne-Peel (BP) and Caton-Deschamps (CD) ratios. We also assessed the correlation between the different measurements in predicting patella alta. Three blinded observers on two separate occasions performed the measurements.
There were 21 females and 8 males with a mean age of 21.4 years (13–33).
Statistical analysis revealed good inter-observer reliability for all measurements (0.78 for PTI, 0.78 for IS, 0.73 for BP and 0.77 for CD). Intra-observer reliability was also good (0.80, 0.83, 0.75, 0.78 respectively). There was weak correlation between the PTI and the other ratios for patella alta. There was a strong correlation between the CD and BP ratios (0.96) and a moderate correlation between IS and CD and IS and BP ratios (0.594 and 0.539 respectively).
We propose the PTI as a more clinically relevant measure.
Correspondence should be addressed to: EFORT Central Office, Technoparkstrasse 1, CH – 8005 Zürich, Switzerland. Email: office@efort.org
