Allograft closure of lateral release after revision total knee arthroplasty

Lateral patellar retinacular release (lateral release) is a common technique for resolving patellar tracking issues during total knee arthroplasty. Complications such as hemarthrosis, wound healing complications, patellar fracture, reflex sympathetic dystrophy, and medial subluxation of the patella have been described. This is a case presentation of a 69-year-old woman who developed severe prepatellar bursitis from a sinus tract resulting from a lateral release after total knee arthroplasty. After failing nonoperative modalities, she was treated with an allograft dermal tissue graft (AlloDerm; LifeCell Corp, Branchburg, NJ) over the defect, which has resulted in resolution of symptoms at 2-year follow-up.