Patella alta

Changed by Matt A. Morgan, 28 Nov 2014

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A patella alta (or a high riding patella) describes a situation where the position of patella is considered high. It ~~can~~may be idiopathic or ~~can~~may result secondary to a patellar tendon rupture.

Associations

Several conditions are known to ~~have a high association with a~~be associated with patella alta, ~~which include~~including:

idiopathic retro-patellar pain ⁵
recurrent dislocation of the patella ²
chondromalacia patellae ²
knee joint effusion ²

Patella alta may also occur as a result of spastic cerebral palsy ⁶.

Radiographic features

On sagittal images it is usually considered when the Insall-Salvati ratio is greater than 1.3 - 1.5 ^1-3.

On radiography, it is important that standard positioning is used, with the knee flexed at 30 degrees. An off-angle x-ray beam or nonstandard positioning may result in a spuriously abnormal ratio.

-<p>A <strong>patella alta</strong> (or a <strong>high riding patella</strong>) describes a situation where the position of patella is considered high. It can be idiopathic or can result secondary to a <a href="/articles/patellar-tendon-rupture">patellar tendon rupture</a>.</p><h5>Associations</h5><p>Several conditions are known to have a high association with a patella alta, which include:</p><ul>
+<p>A <strong>patella alta</strong> (or a <strong>high riding patella</strong>) describes a situation where the position of patella is considered high. It may be idiopathic or may result secondary to a <a href="/articles/patellar-tendon-rupture">patellar tendon rupture</a>. </p><h5>Associations</h5><p>Several conditions are known to be associated with patella alta, including:</p><ul>
-</ul><h4>Radiographic features</h4><p>On sagittal images it is usually considered when the <a href="/articles/insall-salvati_ratio">Insall-Salvati ratio </a>is greater than <strong>1.3</strong> - <strong>1.5</strong> <sup>1-3</sup>.</p>
+</ul><p>Patella alta may also occur as a result of spastic cerebral palsy <sup>6</sup>.</p><h4>Radiographic features</h4><p>On sagittal images it is usually considered when the <a href="/articles/insall-salvati-ratio">Insall-Salvati ratio</a> is greater than <strong>1.3</strong> - <strong>1.5</strong> <sup>1-3</sup>.</p><p>On radiography, it is important that standard positioning is used, with the knee flexed at 30 degrees. An off-angle x-ray beam or nonstandard positioning may result in a spuriously abnormal ratio.</p>

References changed:

6. Lotman D. Knee Flexion Deformity and Patella Alta in Spastic Cerebral Palsy. Dev Med Child Neurol. 1976;18(3):315-9. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8749.1976.tb03653.x">doi:10.1111/j.1469-8749.1976.tb03653.x</a> - <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/939346">Pubmed</a>

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Patella alta

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