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The 3D analysis of the sagittal curvature of the femoral trochlea in the Chinese population

  • Knee
  • Published:
Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy Aims and scope

Abstract

Purpose

An unnatural design of the sagittal geometry of the femoral trochlea may cause abnormal patellofemoral kinematics and complications after knee arthroplasty. Most previous studies examined the sagittal curvature of the femoral trochlea on 2D parasagittal planes, which may not represent the true sagittal curvature of the complex 3D femoral trochlea.

Methods

The current study evaluated the sagittal geometry of the femoral trochlea of 100 healthy Chinese subjects (50 women and 50 men) with 3D analysis. A close-fit sphere was generated on the surface of the medial and lateral trochlear articular surface, respectively. The radii of the spheres represented the sagittal radii of the femoral trochlear sagittal curvature. A cylinder was then established and its radius was adjusted to allow the deepest points of the curved trochlear groove touching the cylindrical surface. The radius of the cylinder represented the sagittal radius of the trochlear groove.

Results

In the men, the average radii of the curvature of the femoral trochlea were 18.8 ± 2.5 mm and 25.5 ± 2.8 mm for the medial and lateral femoral trochleas, respectively. In the women, the average radii of the curvature of the femoral trochlea were 20.2 ± 3.0 mm and 26.6 ± 2.7 mm for the medial and lateral femoral trochleas, respectively. The average radius of the cylinder of the trochlea groove was 19.6 ± 2.0 mm with a circular arc of 123.2° ± 13.0° in the men. In the women, the radius was 20.2 ± 1.7 mm with a circular arc of 127.9° ± 11.7°.

Conclusion

The present study provided a reliable and consistent assessment of the sagittal geometry of the femoral trochlea in the Chinese population. The results of the current study may be helpful to improve the understanding of the knee kinematics and develop the physiological knee prostheses.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the Fund of Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai (09441900104/11QA1404100), Fund for Key Disciplines of Shanghai Municipal Education Commission (J50206), and National Natural Science Foundation of China (30901517).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Shanghai Key Laboratory of Orthopaedic Implant, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China

    Jun Wang & You Wang

  2. Department of Orthopaedics, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, 639 Zhizaoju Road, 200011, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China

    Bing Yue, You Wang, Mengning Yan & Yiming Zeng

Authors
  1. Jun Wang
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  2. Bing Yue
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  3. You Wang
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  4. Mengning Yan
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  5. Yiming Zeng
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to You Wang.

Additional information

Jun Wang and Bing Yue are the co-first authors.

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Wang, J., Yue, B., Wang, Y. et al. The 3D analysis of the sagittal curvature of the femoral trochlea in the Chinese population. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc 20, 957–963 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00167-011-1679-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00167-011-1679-6

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