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Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome: The Value of Single Photon Emission Computerized Tomography and Conventional Computerized Tomography (SPECT/CT)

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Patellofemoral Pain, Instability, and Arthritis

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Abstract

Patellofemoral joint pain is the most common problem involving the knee, affecting 25% of the general population [1–8]. Many cases of anterior knee pain are diagnosed as patellofemoral pain syndrome, a largely idiopathic chronic pain disorder characterized by a gradual onset of poorly localized pain in the anterior aspect of the knee aggravated by activities such as squatting, stair climbing and descent or prolonged sitting with the knee bent [9]. The causes of patellofemoral joint pain are versatile including chondral lesions of the patellofemoral joint, patellofemoral malalignment, medial patellar plica, patellar and/or quadriceps tendinopathy, supra- and infra-patellar fat pad lesions or postoperative conditions [4–6, 10, 11]. The diagnosis is based on the clinical history and the exclusion of other causes of anterior knee pain [1, 12]. Therefore, patellofemoral pain syndrome is a diagnosis of exclusion and can present a great diagnostic challenge to the orthopaedic surgeon [8].

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology, Kantonsspital Baselland, Bruderholz, Switzerland

    Dominic T. Mathis & Michael T. Hirschmann

  2. Institute of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Kantonsspital Baselland, Bruderholz, Switzerland

    Helmut Rasch

  3. University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland

    Michael T. Hirschmann

Authors
  1. Dominic T. Mathis
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  2. Helmut Rasch
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  3. Michael T. Hirschmann
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Michael T. Hirschmann .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Lyon-Ortho-Clinic, Lyon, France

    David Dejour

  2. Istituti Ortopedico Rizzoli Clinica, Ortopedica Traumatologica III, Bologna, Italy

    Stefano Zaffagnini

  3. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Elizabeth A. Arendt

  4. Department of Paediatric Surgery, University of Tampere, Tampere, Finland

    Petri Sillanpää

  5. Clinic Diakonissen LinzOrthopädie & Sportchirurgie Linz, Puchenau, Austria

    Florian Dirisamer

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Mathis, D.T., Rasch, H., Hirschmann, M.T. (2020). Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome: The Value of Single Photon Emission Computerized Tomography and Conventional Computerized Tomography (SPECT/CT). In: Dejour, D., Zaffagnini, S., Arendt, E., Sillanpää, P., Dirisamer, F. (eds) Patellofemoral Pain, Instability, and Arthritis. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-61097-8_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-61097-8_9

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