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
. 2019 Jun;43(6):1495-1501.
doi: 10.1007/s00264-018-4243-x. Epub 2018 Nov 20.

Surgical medial patellofemoral ligament reconstruction versus non-surgical treatment of acute primary patellar dislocation: a prospective controlled trial

Xiaozuo Zheng  1   2 , Yang Hu  3 , Peng Xie  4   5 , Meijuan Cui  4   6 , Xuelin Ma  7   4 , Yu-E Feng  7   4 , Juyuan Gu  7   4 , Shijun Gao  8   9
Affiliations

Surgical medial patellofemoral ligament reconstruction versus non-surgical treatment of acute primary patellar dislocation: a prospective controlled trial

Xiaozuo Zheng et al. Int Orthop. 2019 Jun.

Abstract

Purpose: The acute primary (first-time) lateral patellar dislocation is associated with a high rate of functional disability. There is no consensus as to the choice of surgical or non-surgical treatment for these patients. The aim of this study is to compare the clinical results between the surgical (reconstruction of the medial patellofemoral ligament [MPFL]) and non-surgical treatments for acute primary patellar dislocations.

Methods: Sixty-nine skeletally mature patients (69 knees) were included in this prospective non-randomized controlled trial. At least one predisposing factor for patellar dislocation (including patella alta, high lateral patellar tilt, trochlear dysplasia, and increased TT-TG distance) was identified in the included patients. Thirty patients were treated surgically with MPFL reconstruction, and the other 39 patients were treated non-surgically. The main outcome variable was patellar redislocation within a two year follow-up period. The Kujala questionnaire was applied for analyzing the pain and the quality of life. The additional surgeries due to patellofemoral problems were also recorded.

Results: Patellar redislocation occurred in eight patients in the non-surgical group, while no redislocation occurred in the surgical group (P < 0.05). Four patients in non-surgical group underwent further surgery due to patellar redislocation and poor function during the follow-up period. The Kujala score and the percentage of "good/excellent" results on the Kujala score of the surgical group were significantly better than that of the non-surgical group (P < 0.05).

Conclusions: The surgical MPFL reconstruction achieved better clinical outcomes compared with non-surgical treatment for the acute primary patellar dislocation in the skeletally mature patients with the presence of abnormal patellofemoral anatomy. Surgery should be considered as the better choice for these specific patients.

Keywords: Acute primary patellar dislocation; MPFL reconstruction; Medial patellofemoral ligament.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Sports Med Arthrosc Rev. 2007 Jun;15(2):78-81 - PubMed
    1. Injury. 2015;46(6):1137-44 - PubMed
    1. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2007 Feb;455:93-101 - PubMed
    1. J Orthop Surg Res. 2012 Jun 06;7:21 - PubMed
    1. Am J Sports Med. 2015 Apr;43(4):921-7 - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources