Design of a New Medical Device for Aiding Clinical Diagnosis of Patellofemoral Disorders

Abstract

The purpose of this work is presenting the development of a medical device to assist on the diagnosis of patellofemoral disorders. Patellofemoral joint is one of the most complex articulations of the human body with high functional and biomechanical requirements. Anatomical and physiological abnormalities of this articulation result in knee problems with high social incidence. Their proper diagnosis and consequent correction might prevent or delay the development of diseases like arthritis, decreasing their long-term negative impact in life-quality and health economy. Clinical history, physical examination and imaging studies should be complementary procedures in the diagnosis of patellofemoral disorders, but until now they cannot be performed simultaneously. Furthermore, non-objectivity, inaccuracy and limited reliability and reproducibility are often found among assessment methods. Since the majority of the patellofemoral cases are recurrently misdiagnosed, there is in fact an urgent need for standardizing the whole methodology. From concept to design development, with strong clinical meaningful sustainability, we believe this work may give great contributions on these issues.