ANATOMY OF THE HUMAN PATELLOFEMORAL JOINT ARTICULAR-CARTILAGE - SURFACE CURVATURE ANALYSIS

Articular cartilage surfaces of 49 human patellae and 24 distal femora were characterized by identifying distinctive features wit-h surface curvature analysis. Paired specimens from the same donor generally exh ibited natural symmetry, so only results from nonpaired specimens were considered (39 patellae and 19 femora). In 23 of 39 patellae, proxima l median and lateral transverse ridges extended to form an oblique rid ge resembling a skewed lambda (lambda). Most of the unpaired patellae (37 of 39) exhibited only a single lateral transverse ridge, and most (32 of 39) had an odd facet, All but one patella exhibited a concave d epression in the lateral and medial facets and a sellar area in the pr oximal region. All distal femoral surfaces exhibited a sellar trochlea , The concavity of the trochlea was greatest in the posterior aspect, near the intercondylar notch.