Fat pillows of the knee, not always so soft!

Congress:

ESSR 2016

Poster Number:

P-0097

Type:

Educational Poster

Keywords:

Musculoskeletal soft tissue, Anatomy, MR, Education, Pathology

Authors:

A. C. Vieira, A. Vieira, R. Cunha; Porto/PT

DOI:

10.1594/essr2016/P-0097

DOI-Link:

https://dx.doi.org/10.1594/essr2016/P-0097

Fig. 1: Anterior fat pads of the knee; Anterior suprapatellar (red), Posterior...

Fig. 2: Fig. 2- Sagittal T2 fat sat showing horizontal (horizontal arrow) and vertical...

Fig. 5: Sagittal T2 fat sat; Hoffa disease

Fig. 6: Sagittal PD fat sat; Impingement of the superolateral aspect of the...

Learning objectives

Anatomy of the knee; Fat pad impingement syndromes.

Background

The knee is the largest joint in the body, and one of the most easily injured. It is made up of four main structures: bones, cartilage, ligaments, and tendons with the fat pads occasionally being forgotten as anatomical structures. There are three anterior knee fat pads: Infrapatellar fat pad or Hoffa fat pad – limited by the inferior pole of the patella superiorly, the joint capsule and patellar tendon anteriorly, the proximal tibia and deep infrapatellar bursa inferiorly and the synovium-lined joint cavity posteriorly Anterior...

Imaging findings OR Procedure Details

Fat pad impingement syndromes are frequently the result of an acute trauma or repetitive micro-trauma that may cause hemorrhage or inflammation of the respectively injured fat pad. Generally hemorrhage and inflammation result in swelling and hypertrophy of the adipose structure leading to compression of adjacent structures which consequently cause more inflammation and the outcome is an injure cycle. The method of choice for the diagnosis of these lesions is MR. This imaging technic can show inflammation of anterior fat pads of the knee, which manifest...

Conclusion

Fat pad impingement syndromes are a cause ofanterior knee pain and a common problem encountered in primary care and orthopedic practice. Awareness of the normal anatomy is very important to recognize pathologic entities as fat pad impingement syndrome that has a high impact on daily routine. An accurate image interpretation is imperative to establish a correct diagnosis in anterior knee pain syndrome and not to misdiagnose a patient as having patellar tendonitis, for example, that is a more common finding than fat pad abnormalities.

References

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