18.4 Conclusion
Most cases of anterior knee pain originate from the patellar tendon, Hoffa’s fat pad or the patellofemoral joint. Most cases do not require imaging. Acute traumatic pain requires plain films to exclude fracture supplemented by MRI if patella dislocation is considered a possibility. Soft tissue overuse injuries of the patellar tendon are best assessed by ultrasound. MRI is the technique of choice for assessing the patellofemoral joint and abnormalities of Hoffa’s fat pad. Plain films are of limited value in the assessment of chronic anterior knee pain.
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Ostlere, S. (2007). Imaging of Anterior Knee Pain and Maltracking. In: Vanhoenacker, F.M., Maas, M., Gielen, J.L. (eds) Imaging of Orthopedic Sports Injuries. Medical Radiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-68201-1_18
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