Patella alta may occur in patients with chondromalacia patellae; it is possible that the abnormally high position of the bone could cause damage to the articular cartilage as a consequence of increased patellofemoral incongruence. Other consequences may be recurrent dislocation of the patella and progressive patellofemoral osteoarthritis.
Similarly, delay in distal displacement of the tibial tuberosity during development, as occurs in Osgood Schlatter disease likewise can result in patella alta.
Among the other mechanisms that may produce patella alta are the hypermobility or laxity of joints in Marfans syndrome and homocystinuria and flexion contractures of the knee in cerebral palsy.
DR
