Browse by author
Lookup NU author(s): Mustafa Al-Zubaidy, Oday Al-Dadah
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
© The Author(s) 2025.Background: Patellar instability (PI) is a clinical diagnosis often complicated by symptom overlap with other knee pathologies and spontaneous relocation of the patella. Anatomical variations are key risk factors, highlighting the role of radiological investigations in assessing underlying pathology. Inconsistent measurement parameters and limited comparative data reduce diagnostic reliability. This study aimed to compare radiological parameters between patients with and without PI, and to assess how these parameters change following patellar stabilisation surgery. Methods: This case-control study compared magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and X-ray radiological parameters between patients with recurrent PI and controls. Pre- and postoperative imaging was analysed in the PI group. Eleven validated radiological measurements, including patellofemoral joint angles and patellar height indices, were evaluated. Results: Fifty-five knees in the PI group and 50 knees in the Control group were analysed. Preoperatively, significant differences were found for all patellar height indices (p < 0.001) and patellofemoral measurements (p < 0.05), except for the congruence angle. Postoperatively, all patellar height measurements improved in the PI group (p < 0.05), with only the sulcus angle improving (p = 0.005) for patellofemoral measurements. Significant differences were observed between MRI and X-ray measurements (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Radiological parameters differ significantly between unstable and stable knees, with improvement following surgery. Patellar height was the most consistent marker of instability. Discrepancies between MRI and X-ray findings suggest a need for modality-specific normative values. These results reinforce the value of radiological assessment in PI and support standardisation to improve diagnostic accuracy.
Author(s): Al-Zubaidy M, Faircloth K, Al-Dadah O
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Skeletal Radiology
Year: 2025
Pages: epub ahead of print
Online publication date: 10/11/2025
Acceptance date: 22/10/2025
Date deposited: 27/11/2025
ISSN (print): 0364-2348
ISSN (electronic): 1432-2161
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH
URL: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00256-025-05068-0
DOI: 10.1007/s00256-025-05068-0
Data Access Statement: Data are available from the corresponding author on request.
PubMed id: 41212226
Altmetrics provided by Altmetric
