The Value of CT-Arthrography in Detecting and Staging of Patellofemoral Pathology

Abstract

In this study, we investigated the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of CT-arthrography in detecting and staging patellofemoral pathology such as chondromalacia patellae, patellar fracture, and plica. Sixty-three patients with pain in the anterior part of the knee were examined with double-contrast CT artrography by injecting air and nonionic water-soluble contrast material at high concentrations. We saw that CT arthrography findings of eighteen patients showed no abnormality which were all confirmed at arthroscopy. Grade 1 chondromalacia was diagnosed only by CT-arthrography in five (41 %) of twelve patients. Intermediate (Grade 2 and Grade 3) chondromalacia patellae was diagnosed in 17 (89 %) of 19 patients. Grade 4 was defected in all (100 %) of eight patients. On the other hand, we saw hypertrophic and thickened plica in five patients and marginal patellar fracture in one patient, which were all confirmed by arthroscopy. We concluded that the method studied here had high specificity and sensitivity for showing patellofemoral pathology except Grade 1 chondromalacia patellae.