Arthroscopic Repair of Acute Traumatic Medial Patellofemoral Ligament Tears at the Patellar Insertion

Arthrosc Tech. 2024 Jan 1;13(2):102867. doi: 10.1016/j.eats.2023.10.009. eCollection 2024 Feb.

Abstract

After a lateral patellar dislocation or subluxation, injury to the medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) is common. The MPFL originates between the medial epicondyle and the adductor tubercle, inserting along the superior one-third border of the medial patella. Operative treatment becomes necessary for patients with intra-articular pathology (such as osteochondral injuries or meniscus tears) or those experiencing recurrent dislocations. Numerous surgical techniques have been proposed for addressing this issue, with MPFL reconstruction being the most frequently performed procedure. Nonetheless, various complications associated with reconstruction have been documented. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in MPFL repair, which has shown acceptable outcomes in the literature. In this study, we introduce an arthroscopic-assisted MPFL repair technique designed for acute traumatic MPFL tears originating from the patellar insertion. This approach offers the advantage of being minimally invasive, straightforward, and reproducible.