What is the abnormality demonstrated on the plain film?
There are three additional fragments of bone at the superolateral and inferolateral margins of the patella. They are well corticated and have the appearance of a multipartite patella.
What radiological features make the diagnosis of multipartite patella more likely that fracture in a patient with knee pain following a fall?
The fragments are at the superolateral and inferolateral aspect of the patella. The fragments are well corticated and if they represented acute fracture, a significant effusion would be expected.
What is the commonest location for multipartite patella?
By far the commonest location for segmentation defects of the patella is the superolateral corner.
For bonus radiology geek questions, do you know the classification system that is used?
The saupe classification splits multipartite patellae into three groups based on location of the fragments.
Multipartite patella