The etiology of chondromalacia patellae

Outerbridge RE · The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. British Volume

Origin of the Outerbridge I-IV grading (softening, fissuring <1/2 inch, fissuring >1/2 inch, exposed bone) still quoted in operative reports 60+ years later.

Population

Knees examined at open surgery (historical series)

Intervention

N/A — descriptive; introduced the Outerbridge grades I-IV for cartilage damage

Comparator

None

Limitations

1961 descriptive surgical series about the patella specifically; grading later generalized to the whole knee without formal validation.