Table 3: A summary of investigations of the distal femur.
First author |
AP condylar length |
ML width (condyles, EW, BW) |
Condyle height |
Condyle ratios |
Notch |
PO |
Trochlea |
Red marrow |
Femur surface area/volume |
Van Diek [52] |
M |
ND |
|||||||
Han [51] |
ML NDM |
M |
M |
M |
|||||
Balcarek [37] |
F1,2 M3 |
||||||||
Cinotti [21] |
Fa,M ND |
||||||||
Alemparte [53] |
F1 |
||||||||
Barnes [68] |
M |
M |
F |
||||||
Fehring [70] |
MM NDE |
||||||||
Li [67] |
Ma,b |
M |
|||||||
Li [73] |
M |
M |
|||||||
Rosenstein [72] |
F |
||||||||
Van den Heever [14] |
M |
M |
|||||||
Cho [16] |
Mb |
Mb |
Mb |
Mb |
|||||
Vrooijink [75] |
M |
ND |
ND |
||||||
Pinskerova [17] |
M |
M |
M |
ND5 M3,4 |
|||||
Wang [42] |
F |
M9 |
|||||||
Yan [43] |
M |
M4 |
|||||||
Cavaignac [15] |
M |
M |
|||||||
Murshed [74] |
M |
M |
|||||||
Van Eck [77] |
M |
||||||||
Van Eck [78] |
MNW NDNWI |
||||||||
Charlton [79] |
Mb NDa |
||||||||
Park [69] |
M |
M |
ND |
M |
|||||
Yue [71] |
M |
ND |
|||||||
Dienst [80] |
Ma |
||||||||
Estes [81] |
NDNWI |
||||||||
Anderson [76] |
Mb NDa |
Mb-NW NDa-NW NDNWI |
|||||||
Wang [20] |
Mb NDa |
||||||||
Arslan [22] |
F |
||||||||
Biedert [82] |
M6 |
||||||||
Hasler [83] |
M3,4 ND2 |
||||||||
Kamath [84] |
ND7 |
||||||||
Voleti [4] |
M |
ND |
M |
||||||
Lee [85] |
M |
||||||||
Bellemans [86] |
M |
||||||||
Bisson [19] |
Fa |
M |
|||||||
Cheng [40] |
M |
M |
|||||||
Lim [18] |
MM NDL |
M |
|||||||
Yue [13] |
MM,a |
MM,a |
ND8 |
||||||
SUMMARY |
Majority of studies showed males had greater unadjusted AP condylar dimensions. With adjustments, 2 studies demonstrate controversy. |
Greater ML condylar width in males, although one paper suggested difference does not persist after adjustment |
Majority show that males have greater condylar height |
No consensus about condylar size/aspect ratios, although some papers focused on unique ratios or measured metrics differently than the others |
Males had greater notch widths, although majority of studies showed this difference did not persist after adjustment/when evaluating NWI rather than simple NW |
Males had greater offset with no adjustment; with adjustment, no difference or maybe slightly greater in females |
Overall, findings suggest greater tendency towards trochlear dysplasia (metrics relating to shallow sulcus depth/asymmetry), although some characteristics showed no sex difference |
ND: No statistical difference; F: Greater/larger in females; M: Greater/larger in males; EW/BW: Epicondylar width/bicondylar width; Xa: With adjustments (such as weight, height, BMI, bone length); Xb: Without adjustments (such as weight, height, BMI, bone length); XM: Medial only; XP: Patella only; XL: Lateral only; XE: Elsewhere; X1: Sulcus angle; X2: Trochlear asymmetry; X3: Trochlear depth; X4: Trochlear and/or trochlear facet width; X5: Trochlear shape ratios (trochlear depth relative to trochlear width); X6: Trochlear height ratios (AP length of medial condyle relative to bicondylar width); X7: Trochlear inclination; X8: Trochlear groove orientation/location; X9: Trochlear groove 3D modeling with radius and arc length.