Purpose: Bipartite patella is a known cause of anterior knee pain. Our purpose was to detail the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of bipartite patella in a retrospective cohort of patients imaged at our institution.
Materials and methods: MRI exams from 53 patients with findings of bipartite patella were evaluated to assess for the presence of bone marrow edema within the bipartite fragment and for the presence of abnormal signal across the synchondrosis or pseudarthrosis. Any other significant knee pathology seen at MRI was also recorded. We also reviewed 400 consecutive knee MRI studies to determine the MRI prevalence of bipartite patella.
Results: Of the 53 patients with bipartite patella 40 (75%) were male; 35 (66%) had edema within the bipartite fragment. Of the 18 with no edema an alternative explanation for knee pain was found in 13 (72%). Edema within the bipartite fragment was the sole finding in 26 of 53 (49%) patients. Bipartite patella was seen in 3 (0.7%) of 400 patients.
Conclusion: In patients with bipartite patella at knee MRI, bone marrow edema within the bipartite fragment was the sole finding on knee MRI in almost half of the patients in our series.