A new minimally invasive surgical technique for medial retinaculum repair following traumatic patellar dislocation

A new surgical method is introduced offering a less invasive approach to reattach the medial retinaculum following acute patellar dislocation. This retrospective analysis comprised 12 cases of medial retinacular repair in 10 patients. The surgical technique achieved reinforced reattachment of the torn region of the medial retinaculum for improved patellar support and stabilization. During follow-up, no recurrent patellar dislocations occurred, except where one patient reported a subjective feeling of patellar dislocation. The average Kujala score for our sample group after 2 years was 89.2. A plethora of methods are described in the literature to repair a tear to the medial patellofemoral ligament, which attaches at the superomedial patella. However, it is our contention that traumatic patellar dislocation invariably results in osteochondral avulsion at the inferomedial patella, refuting medial patellofemoral ligament involvement, and, rather, implicating the inferior aspect of the deep layer of medial retinaculum. Our surgical technique enables stable fixation of the region, decreasing the rate of recurrent dislocations. No grafts are used, permitting tendinous and ligamentous anatomy to remain intact. We further postulate that performing a CT examination preoperatively may reduce time between diagnosis and surgery, in addition to locating fracture sites more precisely.