Elsevier

The Knee

Volume 20, Issue 6, December 2013, Pages 485-489
The Knee

Femoral trochlear dysplasia after patellar dislocation in rabbits

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.knee.2013.05.016Get rights and content

Abstract

Background

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of patellar dislocation on the development of the trochlear groove in rabbits.

Methods

Eighty knees from forty one-month-old white rabbits were divided into three groups (sham surgery, experimental, control). Lateral patellar dislocation was established in the experimental group and the effect on the development of the trochlear groove was compared with that in the sham surgery and control groups. Computed tomography (CT) scans were conducted to measure the angle, width and depth of the trochlear groove one month and six months after surgery. Gross specimen examination, cross-sectional anatomy and histological observation were conducted to investigate the anatomical configuration of the femoral trochlea and the changes in cartilage tissue of the trochlear groove at six months after surgery.

Results

At six months after surgery, CT scans showed a significant difference between the sham surgery group and the experimental group in the angle, width and depth of the trochlear groove. There were no significant differences between the sham surgery group and the control group. Gross specimen examination and cross-sectional anatomy indicated low lateral femoral trochlea and reduced height at the trochlear groove in the experimental group. The femoral trochlea was of normal appearance in the other two groups. Histological investigations showed that there were degenerative changes in the cartilage tissue of the femoral trochlea in the experimental group.

Conclusions

Secondary femoral trochlear dysplasia may be caused by patellar dislocation in a normally developing femoral trochlea. Patellar dislocation may be one of the causes of femoral trochlear dysplasia.

Introduction

There are no reports assessing patellar dislocation and development of trochlear groove in children. In this study, an immature rabbit model of lateral patellar dislocation was established to investigate any anatomic morphological changes and histological changes in the femoral trochlea following patellar dislocation.

Section snippets

Animal grouping and model establishment

Eighty knees from forty healthy, one-month-old New Zealand white male and female rabbits, weighing from 290 g to 320 g (provided by Animal Test Center of Hebei Medical University) were divided into three groups (sham surgery, experimental, control). Twenty of the left knees were in the sham surgery group and the other twenty in the experimental group. The forty right knees were in the control group, in which no surgical procedures were applied.

The rabbits were raised under the same conditions in

CT scans

CT scans were conducted in all three groups at time zero and one month and six months after surgery (Fig. 1). Average sulcus angle one month after surgery was 114° ± 2° in all three groups. There was no statistically significant difference in average sulcus angle between the three groups one month after surgery (p > 0.05). Average sulcus angle six months after surgery was 135° ± 2°, 159° ± 4° and 136° ± 2° in the sham surgery, experimental and control groups, respectively. There was a statistically

Discussion

The incidence of femoral trochlear dysplasia is very high in patients with patellar dislocation. Femoral trochlear dysplasia was first presented in 1964 by Brattstrom [5] and it was defined as anatomical morphological abnormality in the geometrical concave and its depth at the trochlear groove. As mentioned, trochlear dysplasia is a predisposing factor for recurrent patellar instability [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6]. Schottle et al. [7] reported that femoral trochlear dysplasia is the most

Conflicts of interest

The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare in relation to this article.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Xiaoqian Men and Jia Chang, who provided expertise at academic meetings, and Yang Ding and Chenghai Wang for their very helpful technical assistance.

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1

First author at: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, 1st Central Hospital of Baoding, No. 320, Changcheng Street, Baoding, 071000, Hebei, People's Republic of China.

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