Imaging study of the patellofemoral joint: state of the art

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

Anterior knee pathology is a frequent cause of consultation in clinical practice. Patellofemoral dysfunction is a syndromic condition with a broad etiology often associated with a failure in the entry of the patella into the trochlea, which causes overload and wear of the articular cartilage, determining in the long term a greater risk of osteoarthritis. The clinical presentation is varied. It is a dynamic problem, which influenced by anatomical factors of joint geometry and its stabilizing mechanisms. Imaging studies include different techniques with different uses. Simple X-ray is the initial examination. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), both with greater space and contrast resolution, allow evaluation of other aspects of the joint and the relationship of the patella with the femoral trochlea, in addition to the rotational aspects of the lower extremity. None of them alone provides all the information necessary for the therapeutic decision. In this article, the clinical presentations and the imaging study are reviewed. A study protocol with radiography and MRI that includes the most useful validated objective measurements of the anatomical factors that condition instability in the different clinical presentations is discussed and proposed.