Infrapatellar Fat Pad
(Redirected from Retropatellar fat pad)
Description
Name
- Infrapatellar Fat Pad
- Hoffa's Fat Pad
- Retropatellar fat pad
General
- Intracapsular and extrasynovial adipose tissue structure
- Heavily vascularized, highly innervated
- Largest soft tissue structure in the knee joint
Function
- Biochemical: reservoir rich in stem cells, may contribute to healing response after injury
- Biomechanical: dynamic structure which can change in shape during knee motion, stabilizing patella and patellar tendon
Borders[3]
- Anterior: Patellar Tendon, joint capsule
- Superior: inferior pole of the Patella
- Inferior: proximal Tibia, deep infrapatellar bursa, intermeniscal ligament, meniscal horn
- Posterior: joint synovium, femoral condyles and intercondylar notch.
Attachments[4]
- intercondylar notch via the ligamentum mucosum
- Anterior horns of the menisci
- Proximal end of the patella tendon
- Inferior pole of the patella
Description
- Consists of a central body with medial and lateral extensions
- There is a vertical cleft in the superior aspect of the fat pad
- Horizontal cleft in the postroinferior aspect of the fat pad
Vascular Supply
- Upper and lower geniculate arteries create abundant peripheral anastamotic blood supply
- Supromedial and suprolateral geniculate arteries provide 2 vertical arteries
- 2 or 3 horizontal arteries connect the vertical arteries
Innervation
- Predominant nerve supply to the fatpad is the Posterior Tibial Nerve
Clinical Significance
See Also
References
- ↑ Case courtesy of Andrew Murphy, Radiopaedia.org, rID: 93729
- ↑ Wang, Magnolia G., Patrick Seale, and David Furman. "The infrapatellar fat pad in inflammaging, knee joint health, and osteoarthritis." npj Aging 10.1 (2024): 34.
- ↑ Draghi F, Ferrozzi G, Urciuoli L, Bortolotto C, Bianchi S. Hoffa’s fat pad abnormalities, knee pain andmagnetic resonance imaging in daily practice. Insights Imaging 2016;7(03):373–383
- ↑ Gallagher J et al. The infrapatellar fat pad : anatomy and clinical correlations. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc 2005 ; 13 : 268-272.