Chronic Infrapatellar Fat Pad Fibrosis: Hoffa's Disease, a Commonly Unrecognized Source of Anterior Knee Pain - A Report of Two Cases.

The findings are limited only to the two cases presented, and the authors state that cause and effect cannot be assumed. The authors note that future studies would benefit from larger sample sizes and validated patient reported outcome measures. Both patients had received other treatments before surgery, including physical therapy, cortisone injection, prior arthroscopic debridement, a patellar tendon strap, or topical anti-inflammatory, so the contribution of any single component cannot be separated. The postoperative physical therapy was described only generally, and the authors note that detailed reporting of physical therapy interventions would be useful.

Do not read these cases as proof that arthroscopic fat pad resection relieves anterior knee pain. The authors state that the findings are limited only to the two cases presented and that cause and effect cannot be assumed.