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Does increased femoral antetorsion predispose to cartilage lesions of the patellofemoral joint?

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

A Correction to this article was published on 31 March 2018

This article has been updated

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether there was a relationship between femoral neck antetorsion and the presence and pattern of osteoarthritis of the patellofemoral joint. It was hypothesized that an increased femoral neck antetorsion (1) correlates with osteoarthritic changes of the lateral facet of the patellofemoral joint and (2) correlates with an increased lateral trochlear height and a decreased sulcus angle.

Methods

Seventy-eight formalin-embedded cadaveric lower extremities from thirty-nine subjects with a median age of 74 years (range 60–88) were used. Surrounding soft tissues of the lower limb were removed. The femoral neck antetorsion was measured and referenced to the transepicondylar axis and the posterior condylar line. The height of the medial and lateral facet of the trochlea and the sulcus angle was measured. The location and the degree of patellofemoral cartilage degeneration were recorded. A Pearson’s correlation analysis was performed to correlate the femoral neck antetorsion with the measured knee parameters.

Results

No significant correlation could be found between the femoral antetorsion and cartilage degeneration of the lateral patellofemoral joint (n.s.), the height of the lateral trochlea (n.s.) and the sulcus angle (n.s.).

Conclusion

This study could not document that the femoral neck antetorsion and subsequent internal rotation of the distal femur correlated with the degree of degeneration of the lateral facet of the patellofemoral joint. Clinically, femoral internal rotation may play a minor role in the development of lateral patellofemoral joint degeneration.

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Change history

  • 31 March 2018

    Unfortunately, the following reference was not included in the original publication of the article.

  • 31 March 2018

    Unfortunately, the following reference was not included in the original publication of the article.

  • 31 March 2018

    Unfortunately, the following reference was not included in the original publication of the article.

  • 31 March 2018

    Unfortunately, the following reference was not included in the original publication of the article.

  • 31 March 2018

    Unfortunately, the following reference was not included in the original publication of the article.

  • 31 March 2018

    Unfortunately, the following reference was not included in the original publication of the article.

  • 31 March 2018

    Unfortunately, the following reference was not included in the original publication of the article.

  • 31 March 2018

    Unfortunately, the following reference was not included in the original publication of the article.

  • 31 March 2018

    Unfortunately, the following reference was not included in the original publication of the article.

  • 31 March 2018

    Unfortunately, the following reference was not included in the original publication of the article.

  • 31 March 2018

    Unfortunately, the following reference was not included in the original publication of the article.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Boris Vidovic, a medical student of the University of Cologne, for the drawings.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopedics and Trauma Surgery, University Hospital of Cologne, Kerpener Strasse 62, 50937, Cologne, Germany

    Johannes Oppermann, Jan Bredow, Christoph Kolja Boese, Peer Eysel & Jens Dargel

  2. Department for Orthopedic and Trauma Surgery, St. Vinzenz Hospital, Merheimer Straße 221-223, 50733, Cologne, Germany

    Boris Wissusek

  3. Department of Hand Surgery, Vulpius Klinik, Vulpiusstraße 29, 74906, Bad Rappenau, Germany

    Christian Karl Spies

  4. Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Yangpu Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, 450 Tengyue Road, 200090, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China

    Shi-Min Chang

Authors
  1. Johannes Oppermann
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Correspondence to Johannes Oppermann.

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Oppermann, J., Bredow, J., Wissusek, B. et al. Does increased femoral antetorsion predispose to cartilage lesions of the patellofemoral joint?. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc 25, 2695–2701 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00167-015-3625-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00167-015-3625-5

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