Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2016 Sep;24(9):2798-2805.
doi: 10.1007/s00167-014-3498-z. Epub 2015 Jan 7.

The management of the painful bipartite patella: a systematic review

Samuel E McMahon  1 , Johannes A LeRoux  2 , Toby O Smith  3 , Caroline B Hing  4
Affiliations

The management of the painful bipartite patella: a systematic review

Samuel E McMahon et al. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 2016 Sep.

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to identify the most effective method for the treatment of the symptomatic bipartite patella.

Methods: A systematic review of the literature was completed, and all studies assessing the management of a bipartite patella were included. Owing to the paucity of randomised controlled trials, a narrative review of 22 studies was completed. A range of treatments were assessed: conservative measures, open and arthroscopic fixation or excision and soft tissue release and excision.

Results: All of the methods provided results ranging from good to excellent, with acceptable complication rates.

Conclusions: This is a poorly answered treatment question. No firm guidance can be given as to the most appropriate method of treating the symptomatic bipartite patella. This study suggests that there are a number of effective treatments with acceptable complication rates and it may be that treatments that conserve the patella are more appropriate for larger fragments.

Level of evidence: IV.

Keywords: Bipartite; Multipartite; Patella.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Adachi N, Ochi M, Yamaguchi H, Uchio Y, Kuriwaka M (2002) Vastus lateralis release for painful bipartite patella. Arthroscopy 18(4):404–441 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Azarbod P, Agar G, Patel V (2005) Arthroscopic excision of a painful bipartite patella fragment. Arthroscopy 21(8):1006 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Bourne MH, Bianco AJ (1990) Bipartite patella in the adolescent: results of surgical excision. J Pediatr Orthop 10:69–73 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Canizares GH, Selesnick FH (2003) Bipartite patella fracture. Arthroscopy 19(2):215–217 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Carney J, Thompson D, O’Daniel J, Cassidy J (2010) Arthroscopic excision of a painful bipartite patella fragment. Am J Orthop 39(1):40–43 - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources