Clinical Study of Hypertrophic Patella after Treatment of Patellar Fracture

Choi, Chang Uk; Lee, Byung Il; Shin, Byung Joon; Shin, Yong Dae

Abstract

Authors treated 86 cases of patella fracture during 3 year period from June 1989 to March 1992 at the Dept. of Orthopaedic surgery, Soonchunhyang University. Forty cases of patella fracture showed hypertrophy of longitudinal and transverse diameter of patella during follow-up which were checked by simple radiographs. Completely documented cases were only forty-six, which were followed more than a year and preop. and postop. and final follow-up radiographs were reviewed. Authors measured longitudinal and transverse diameter of patella using preop. and postop and final simple radiographs to observe the morphological changes of patella after treatemnt. The purpose of this paper is to observe. 1. How much the patella was hypertrophied. 2. What kind of factors influence the hypertrophy of the patella, 3. What is the clinical correlation between the hypertrophy of patella and the clinical outcome. The results were as follows 1. Average hypertrophy of longitudinal and transverse diameter were 1.0±2.3mm and 2.5±1.2mm respectively. 2. Only fracture type(simple. vs comminuted.) was significantly related with the changes of longitudinal and transverse diameter of patella(p < 0.1), Other factors(cast immobilization period, operation method and age) show no significant relationship statistically(p>0. 5). And there is no relationship between longitudinal and transverse diameter statistically(p>0.4). 3. Those who showed change of longitudinal diameter between 0-10mm had good knee joint motion(99°±2). But those who showed shortening or lengthening over 10mm of longitudinal diameter had poor knee joint motion(37°±3, 60°±8 respectively). And change of transverse diameter was not related with the clinical result (p>0. 7).