Bipartite patella is a condition where the
patella
The patella (: patellae or patellas), also known as the kneecap, is a flat, rounded triangular bone which articulates with the femur (thigh bone) and covers and protects the anterior articular surface of the knee joint. The patella is found in m ...
, or kneecap, is composed of two separate
bones. Instead of
fusing together as normally
occurs in early childhood, the bones of the patella remain separated.
The condition occurs in approximately 12% of the population
and is no more likely to occur in
males
Male (symbol: ♂) is the sex of an organism that produces the gamete (sex cell) known as sperm, which fuses with the larger female gamete, or ovum, in the process of fertilisation. A male organism cannot reproduce sexually without access to ...
than
females.
[ It is often ]asymptomatic
Asymptomatic (or clinically silent) is an adjective categorising the medical conditions (i.e., injuries or diseases) that patients carry but without experiencing their symptoms, despite an explicit diagnosis (e.g., a positive medical test).
P ...
and most commonly diagnosed as an incidental finding,symptomatic
Signs and symptoms are diagnostic indications of an illness, injury, or condition.
Signs are objective and externally observable; symptoms are a person's reported subjective experiences.
A sign for example may be a higher or lower temperature ...
.[
Saupe introduced a classification system for Bipartite Patella back in 1921.
Type 1: Fragment is located at the bottom of the kneecap (5% of cases)
Type 2: Fragment is located on the lateral side of the kneecap (20% of cases)
Type 3: Fragment is located on the upper lateral border of the kneecap (75% of cases)]
References
External links
Congenital disorders of musculoskeletal system
Knee injuries and disorders
Patella
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