Yes. The knee-cap or patella (a sesamoid bone which
protects and stabilizes the anterior surface of the knee joint) is one of the few bones
in the body that is completely contained within a tendon. Ossification of the patella
occurs between the ages of 2 and 6 years. It is formed through the process of
endochondral ossification, in which cartilage is replaced with bone, rather than
intramembranous ossification, in which bone is formed as a fetus
develops.
The patella generally develops from one
ossification center, but in some cases a separate second center of bone formation is
present. If these two centers of bone formation don't eventually fuse, a situation
arises where there is an accessory bone from the second center of ossification that is
attached to the patella by fibrous or cartilage tissue. This is called a bipartate
patella.
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