COMPUTERIZED TOMOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS OF TIBIAL TUBERCLE POSITION IN THE PAINFUL FEMALE PATELLOFEMORAL JOINT

We used computerized tomography to evaluate the position of the tibial tubercle and to determine if the tibial tubercle is positioned more l aterally in female patients with patellofemoral pain. We also wanted t o determine the relationship of the tibial tubercle to tibial external rotation and patellar tilt. Sixty female patients and 19 healthy fema le controls were evaluated. To evaluate the position of the tibial tub ercle, the tibial tubercle rotation angle (the angle formed by the lin e between the posteriormost edges of the medial and lateral femoral co ndyle and the line between the central point of the intercondylar spac e and the central point of the patellar tendon at the level of the tib ial tubercle) was measured by superimposing the images from the level of the distal femoral condyle and the tibial tubercle. The relationshi p between the tibial tubercle rotation angle and patellar tilt was the n assessed by dividing the patients into 3 subgroups according to the patellar tilt. The tibial tubercle rotation angle was significantly di fferent between the patellofemoral pain patients and the controls. The re were also significant differences between the patients with moderat e patellar tilt (10 degrees to 20 degrees) and the controls, and betwe en the patients with high patellar tilt (>20 degrees) and the controls .