Radiological study of fabella in Omani subjects at a tertiary care center

• Published in: Anatomy & cell biology Vol. 54; no. 3; pp. 315 - 320
• Main Authors: Matroushi, Omar Darwish Al, Sirasanagandla, Srinivasa Rao, Shabibi, Ammar Al, Obaidani, Athari Al, Dhuhli, Humoud Al, Jaju, Sanjay, Mushaiqri, Mohamed Al
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Korea (South) Korean Association of Anatomists 01.09.2021; 대한해부학회
• Subjects: Original; 해부학; Radiography; Knee joint; Sesamoid bones; Prevalence
• ISSN: 2093-3665; 2093-3673
• DOI: 10.5115/acb.20.194

Ethnic diversity is associated with variability in the prevalence rates of fabella. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence and the radiological features of fabella in Omani patients. This is a retrospective analysis of hospital electronic database of patients referred for radiological investigations (radiographs and magnetic resonance imaging) of the knee, at a tertiary care referral center. Descriptive statistics were performed to determine the prevalence of fabella. Chi-square test was used to determine the association between sex or age with respect to the presence of fabella. A total of 813 knee radiographs were reviewed for the presence of fabella. Fabella was found in 24.1% of total cases. A statistically significant sex difference was observed with respect to the presence of fabella in left knees in males ( <0.01). The presence of fabella was significantly associated with age groups for the right ( <0.05) and left knees ( <0.01). In magnetic resonance imaging film reviews, all the identified fabellae (20.2%) were bony structures and were located within the lateral head of the gastrocnemius muscle. There were no cartilaginous fabellae detected. The current study revealed a prevalence of 24.1% of fabella in Omani subjects which is almost similar to the results as seen in Caucasian ethnic populations.