Gender differences in femoral trochlea morphology

• Published in: Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA, 2021-02, Vol.29 (2), p.563-572
• Main Authors: Hsu, Chi-Pin, Lee, Pei-Yuan, Wei, Hung-Wen, Lin, Shang-Chih, Lu, Yung-Chang, Lin, Jian-Cheng, Huang, Chang-Hung
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Asian Continental Ancestry Group; Computed tomography; European Continental Ancestry Group; Female; Femur; Femur - anatomy & histology; Gender aspects; Gender differences; Grooves; Humans; Imaging, Three-Dimensional; Knee; Knee Prosthesis; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Morphology; Orthopedics; Prosthesis Design; Reference Values; Sex Characteristics; Sex differences; Three dimensional models; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0942-2056; 1433-7347
• DOI: 10.1007/s00167-020-05944-3

Purpose This study aimed to analyze the morphology of the anterior femoral condyle using a quantitative three-dimensional reconstruction method. The morphological data were compared between genders. Methods Computed tomography scans of femurs were taken from 90 healthy subjects and then reconstructed in 3D modeling software. Coaxial cutting planes were created at 10° increments to measure the lateral and medial anterior condylar heights (LACH and MACH, respectively), lateral and medial trochlear groove widths (LTW and MTW, respectively), and for trochlear groove tracking. The absolute values and normalized data were compared between male and female subjects. The sulcus angle and deepest point of the trochlear groove at each cross-section were also analyzed to determine the differences in the depth of the trochlear groove. Results The absolute dimensions of LACH, MACH, LTW, and MTW were significantly smaller in the female subjects, by 10.5%, 36.9%, 10.3%, and 11.0%, respectively, than in the males ( p