Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42587282›Full record

ArticleBMC medical imaging2026

Morphometric characteristics of the prefemoral fat pad of the knee on MRI: a study in a healthy population.

Christoph Hellmund, Pierre Hepp, Hanno Steinke, Leon Weigelt, Timm Denecke, Jeanette Henkelmann

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Article in BMC medical imaging, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Christoph Hellmund *Department of Orthopedics, Trauma and Plastic Surgery, University of Leipzig, Liebigstraße 20, Leipzig, 04103, Germany. christoph.hellmund@medizin.uni-leipzig.de.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0004-6333-5323
Pierre Hepp *Department of Orthopedics, Trauma and Plastic Surgery, University of Leipzig, Liebigstraße 20, Leipzig, 04103, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6510-2943
Hanno SteinkeInstitute of Anatomy, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7117-9330
Leon WeigeltInstitute of Anatomy, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
Timm DeneckeDepartment of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3313-3208
Jeanette HenkelmannDepartment of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9456-3661

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe prefemoral fat pad (PFP) is located anterior to the distal femur and adjacent to the patellofemoral joint. While the infrapatellar fat pad (IFP) has been extensively studied, morphometric data on the PFP are scarce. The purpose of this study was to characterize the morphology of the PFP on MRI and to evaluate its relationship to adjacent osseous and soft tissue structures. MATERIALS AND

methodsTwenty healthy volunteers were prospectively enrolled, and MRI examinations of 38 knees from 19 participants were analysed. Volumes of the PFP, IFP, and suprapatellar fat pad (SFP) were measured using manual segmentation. Additional morphometric parameters included body height, weight, BMI, age, numerous femoral and tibial osseous dimensions, the Insall-Salvati ratio, and the suprapatellar axial PFP area (SAPA). Correlation and regression analyses were performed to identify predictors and surrogate measures of PFP volume.

resultsMean PFP and IFP volume were comparable. PFP volume showed significant correlations with selected osseous parameters of the distal femur and proximal tibia. IFP volume and SAPA demonstrated a strong correlation with PFP volume and emerged as surrogate parameters. No significant relationship was found between PFP volume and patellar height as assessed by the Insall-Salvati ratio.

conclusionsIn healthy adults, the PFP is similar in size to the IFP and shows consistent morphometric relationships with adjacent structures. SAPA may represent a simplified, time-efficient candidate surrogate measure that showed a strong association with total PFP volume in this healthy cohort; further validation in larger and symptomatic populations is required before it can substitute for complete volumetric segmentation in clinical practice. These findings provide baseline morphometric data for future studies investigating pathological alterations of the PFP.

Indexed as

Adipose TissueFemurKnee JointMagnetic Resonance ImagingAdultFemaleHealthy VolunteersHumansMaleMiddle AgedProspective StudiesYoung AdultInfrapatellar fat padInsall-SalvatiPatellofemoral jointPrefemoral fat padVolumetric segmentation

Identifiers

PMID42587282
PMCPMC13471311

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.