The anterior structures of forty-eight knees were dissected analyzed
quantitatively. Correlations were established among the twelve measured
parameters of the distal quadriceps complex. Patellar height, width, and
thickness tended to correlate with the dimensions of the soft-tissue
structures and not with each other. To a high degree of predictability, the
shape of the patella correlated with several parameters of the quadriceps
complex. The width of the lateral patellofemoral ligament was the parameter
most closely related to patellar shape.