Assessment of the Patellar Height Ratios in Normal Adult Nigerians

Abstract

Background: Patella bone is the largest sesamoid bone in the human body, it lies in the quadriceps tendon. The height of the Patella has been found to vary in some disease conditions. Ratios are therefore formulated to determine the normal values using various parameters related to the Patella bone. The aim of this study was therefore to determine the normal Patella height ratios in Nigerians from the different methods. Method:A total of 500 normal radiographs of the knee joint from different regions of Nigeria were utilized for this study. The ratios calculated were from:- (a) The Blumensaat’s line method (LP / WCBL) (b) The Install and Salvati method (LT / LP) (c) The Blackburn Peel method (A / B) Results: The mean Male Patella height ratios for the three different methods were as follows: LP / WCBL (0.97± 0.01), LT / LP (1.04 ± 0.07), A / B (0.87 ± 0.01) while that of the females were as follows: LP / WCBL (0.97± 0.01), LT / LP (1.04 ± 0.08), and A / B (0.87 ± 0.02). There was no significant differences in all the ratios (P>0.05). Conclusion: The study has re-evaluated the different methods at arriving at Patella height ratios in Nigerians. The findings are in keeping with earlier authors that irrespective of sex and race, the normal Patella height ratios do not vary and can be used for restoring knee function and kinematics in diseased states.