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Knee

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Essential Measurements in Pediatric Musculoskeletal Imaging

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Abstract

The knee is a pivot-condylar joint, through which important loads pass in weight-bearing position, and is also an essential joint involved in gait.

In children, radiographic measurements may be challenging, given some ossification centers may only be partially visible.

From a biomechanical perspective, growth causes a significant change in angular measurements. Therefore, the angle measurements presented in this chapter must be interpreted in an age-dependent manner. It should be noted that the measurement can be significantly affected by the degree of flexion or when performed in a standing position.

Knee disorders in children may have an effect on gait and weight-bearing and therefore have an impact on the biomechanics of other joints and in the general health.

An understanding of the biomechanics and different relations between the components of the joint is necessary to correctly diagnose pathology of the knee in children.

Radiography and ultrasound remain the initial imaging modalities of choice, with an increase in the use of MRI from early ages, although the prolonged imaging time and need for sedation in younger children may limit its use in daily practice. Because of the exposure to ionizing radiation, the use of computed tomography is limited to selected cases. In this chapter, we describe the normal radiological measurements of the tibiofemoral joint, the soft tissues of the tibiofemoral joint, and the patellofemoral joint.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Auckland City Hospital, Te Toka Tumai Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

    Maria Pilar Aparisi Gómez

  2. Department of Radiology, IMSKE, Valencia, Spain

    Maria Pilar Aparisi Gómez

  3. Pediatric Imaging Department, Reine Fabiola Children’s University Hospital, Université libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium

    Paolo Simoni

  4. Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, Bologna, Italy

    Alberto Bazzocchi

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  1. Maria Pilar Aparisi Gómez
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Pediatric Imaging Department, Reine Fabiola Children’s University Hospital, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium

    Paolo Simoni

  2. Department of Radiology, Auckland City Hospital, Auckland District Health Board, Auckland, New Zealand

    Maria Pilar Aparisi Gómez

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Aparisi Gómez, M.P., Simoni, P., Bazzocchi, A. (2023). Knee. In: Simoni, P., Aparisi Gómez, M.P. (eds) Essential Measurements in Pediatric Musculoskeletal Imaging. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-17735-4_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-17735-4_9

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