The role of patellar tendon morphometry on anterior knee pain.

PURPOSE

To investigate the morphometry of patellar tendon with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and to reveal the relation between patellar tendon properties and anterior knee pain (AnKP).

METHODS

Twenty-three patients with AnKP and nine healthy individuals were included in the study. Patients with knee anomaly that may cause AnKP were excluded from the study. The patellar tendon examination was performed on sagittal and coronal sections of MRI. Freehand technique was used to frame the area of tendon and calculations were done by generic software.

RESULTS

There were 23 patients in AnKP (+) and 9 individuals in AnKP (-) group. The morphometric results were not different among groups (p = 0.2). Higher body mass index was correlated with increased patellar tendon surface area in women (R (2) = 0.37).

CONCLUSION

Patellar tendon length, thickness and surface area do not seem as a significant parameter to explain the aetiology of AnKP. Given the well-defined role of patellar tendon to support knee kinetics, the clinical value of tendon morphometry is to be determined.