Morphologic Analysis and the Clinical Significance of the Patella in Sagittal Plane

In 1941 Wiberg discribed morphologic classification of patella in axial plane and the correlationship between its shape and dysfunction. Here the authors reviewed 120 cases and divided them into four groups. Group I is the one with no knee joint pain or patella dysfunction, group II is the patients with meniscus injury, gruop III is the patients with chondromalacia of patella and group IV is the patients with osteoarthritis of knee joint. We analysed them according to the ratio between the length of the patella and the articular surface in lateral X-ray films of patella. The results were as follows:1. The ratio between the length of the patella and the articular surface is 1.45±0.13(mean±SD) in group I, 1.47±0.18 in group II, 1.56±0.12 in group lll and 1.57±0.15 in group IV. 2. Statistically(P<0.05), no significant difference between group I and group II, but group III and group IV is significantly different from the group I. 3. The ratio between the length of the patella and the articular surface is thought to be helpful for diagnosing the patient with vague knee joint pain.