Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research ›› 2021, Vol. 25 ›› Issue (24): 3875-3881.doi: 10.12307/2021.096

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Application and comparison of four commonly used methods for patellar height measurement

Jie Ke1, Deng Peng2, Zeng Yirong2   

  1. 1Foshan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Foshan 528000, Guangdong Province, China; 2Third Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510000, Guangdong Province, China
  • Received:2020-08-26 Revised:2020-09-14 Accepted:2020-10-16 Online:2021-08-28 Published:2021-03-17
  • Contact: Zeng Yirong, MD, Chief physician, Doctoral supervisor, Third Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510000, Guangdong Province, China
  • About author:Jie Ke, Master, Foshan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Foshan 528000, Guangdong Province, China
  • Supported by:
    the High-Level Hospital Construction Project of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, No. 211010010722 (to ZYR)

Abstract: BACKGROUND: High tibial osteotomy is one of the more popular knee-preserving operations for the treatment of osteoarthritis of the medial compartment of the knee in recent years. However, the previous literature reported that this operation has different effects on the height of the patella. The main reason is that it uses different measurement methods of patellar height.
OBJECTIVE: To assess the consistency and reproducibility of Caton-Deschamps, Blackburne-Peel, Insall-Salvati and modified Insall-Salvati indices before and after high tibial osteotomy. 
METHODS: Complete imaging data of 31 patients (34 knees) with medial knee osteoarthritis, who were treated with open-wedge biplane high tibial osteotomy in the Department of Joint Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine from February 2014 to December 2017, were retrospectively analyzed. The lateral films of the knee with 30° knee flexion were selected before and after treatment. Patellar height was independently measured using Caton-Deschamps, Blackburne-Peel, Insall-Salvati and modified Insall-Salvati indices before and after treatment by two researchers. This trial was approved by the Ethics Committee of The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine on November 6, 2019 (approval No. K2019122).  
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) Caton-Deschamps and Blackburne-Peel indices significantly decreased after treatment compared with preoperative indices. Insall-Salvati and modified Insall-Salvati indices were not significantly different before and after treatment. (2) Quantitative results of consistency showed that the consistency was good between Blackburne-Peel and Caton-Deschamps indices, modified Insall-Salvati and Caton-Deschamps indices, and modified Insall-Salvati and Blackburne-Peel indices before treatment. However, only Blackburne-Peel and Caton-Deschamps indices had good consistency after treatment. (3) Qualitative results of consistency displayed good consistency between Blackburne-Peel and Caton-Deschamps indices before and after treatment. (4) Interobserver consistency displayed highest consistency of Blackburne-Peel index, followed by Insall-Salvati index before treatment; and highest consistency between Blackburne-Peel and Caton-Deschamps indices after treatment. (5) It is indicated that regarding the choice of measurement methods of patellar height, Blackburne-Peel index is recommended as the best evaluation index of patellar height in the treatment of high tibial valgus osteotomy.

Key words: open-wedge high tibial osteotomy, patella, height, X-ray, consistency, reproducibility, Caton-Deschamps index, Blackburne-Peel index, modified Insall-Salvati index, Insall-Salvati index

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