Background:Conventional computed tomography (CT) images are routinely used for diagnosing patellofemoral instability and are obtained with the patient in a supine position, nonweightbearing, with the knee in full extension, and with leg muscles relaxed. A new portable extremity cone beam CT (CBCT) scanner has been developed that may allow for more accurate diagnosis, as imaging can be performed with the patient standing, the knee flexed, and with leg muscles active.Purpose/Hypothesis:The purpose of this study was to compare CT measurements of patellar alignment on a prototype scanner versus conventional scanner in patients with known patellar instability. The hypothesis was that the measurements obtained with the knee flexed and the patient weightbearing would be less than those obtained from the conventional CT scan.Study Design:Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3.Methods:Twenty patients with a diagnosis of lateral patellar instability were imaged on both a conventional CT scanner and on a prototype CBCT scanner. Objective measures of patellofemoral alignment (tilt angle, congruence angle, tibial tuberosity–trochlear groove [TT-TG] offset) were assessed on images obtained from the prototype and conventional CT scans by 2 independent reviewers. Paired t tests were calculated to compare the mean measurement of patellofemoral alignment obtained from the prototype versus conventional CT. Interrater reliability was assessed using a 2-way mixed-effects model intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) for tilt angle, congruence angle, and TT-TG offset on the prototype and conventional CT scans.Results:Measurements of patellofemoral alignment were significantly less when acquired by the new prototype CBCT scanner while subjects were weightbearing on a flexed knee. On the images from the prototype CBCT scan, the tilt angle averaged 18.2° ± 11.6° compared with 28.1° ± 7.1° on the conventional CT scan (P < .0001). The congruence angle was 3.0° ± 30.1° compared with 26.7° ± 18.1° on the conventional CT scan (P = .0002). Finally, the TT-TG offset distance averaged 12.3 ± 6.3 mm when measured on the CBCT scan compared with 20.1 ± 4.2 mm on the conventional CT scan (P < .0001). Good interrater reliability was found for tilt angle, congruence angle, and TT-TG offset on conventional and CBCT scans (ICC range, 0.79-0.96).Conclusion:In patients with patellar instability, measurements of patellofemoral alignment are reduced on images obtained from a new weightbearing extremity CBCT scanner on a flexed knee versus conventional CT in the supine position with a fully extended knee. Improvement in objective measurements of patellar alignment should lead to improved clinical and surgical care of patients with this condition.
Background:Computed tomography (CT) scans are useful for objectively measuring bone alignment because they show bone detail particularly well, and these scans have been used extensively to assess patellar orientation. The tibial tubercle–trochlear groove (TT-TG) offset distance has been shown to be influenced by knee flexion and weightbearing, yet conventional CT scans are obtained with the subject relaxed, supine, and with the knee in full extension. A new cone-beam CT scanner has been designed to allow for weightbearing images, potentially providing a more physiologically relevant assessment of patellofemoral alignment.Purpose/Hypothesis:The purpose of this study was to measure the TT-TG offset in healthy individuals without any history of knee complaints when CT scans were obtained while fully weightbearing on a flexed knee. Our hypothesis was that the TT-TG offset measurement in these healthy knees would be reproducible and less than the historically reported normal range.Study Design:Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3.Methods:Twenty healthy volunteers without any history of knee complaint were recruited to undergo a weightbearing cone-beam CT scan of the knee flexed at 30°. The scans were reviewed by a radiologist and an orthopaedic surgeon, and TT-TG offset was measured using the digital tools of a picture archiving and communication system. Paired t tests were used to compare TT-TG offset on 2 separate occasions for both raters. Inter- and intrarater reliability were assessed using a 2-way mixed-effects model intraclass correlation coefficient with corresponding 95% confidence intervals for TT-TG offset.Results:The mean TT-TG offset was 2.7 mm. There were no statistically significant differences in TT-TG offset between raters (P rater1 = .70; P rater2 = .49) and time of read (P time1 = .83; P time2 = .19). Good to moderate interrater reliability was found at the time of both reads, and good intrarater reliability was found for both raters.Conclusion:When measured by CT scan and obtained from a subject while weightbearing on a flexed knee, the TT-TG offset is reproducible and the distance is less than that obtained via a conventional CT scan.
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