Reconstructive surgery for patellofemoral joint incongruency.

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Patellofemoral joint disorders often require surgical intervention.
• Existing treatments may not fully address complex anatomical issues.
• A combined surgical approach aims to restore patellofemoral joint mechanics comprehensively.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of a combined trochleaplasty and soft tissue-balancing technique for patellofemoral joint disorders.
• To assess clinical outcomes and anatomical restoration in a heterogeneous patient cohort.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 46 consecutively treated knees.
• Surgical algorithm included trochleaplasty, medial patellofemoral ligament reconstruction, and vastus medialis oblique muscle repair.
• Median follow-up of 4.7 years.

Main Results:

• No patellar redislocations occurred post-operatively.
• Median Kujala score significantly improved from 62 to 88 (p < 0.001).
• Radiological correction of trochlear dysplasia, patellar height, and trochlear depth was observed.

Conclusions:

• Combined trochleaplasty and soft tissue balancing yields excellent clinical and radiological results for patellofemoral joint disorders.
• Significant Kujala score improvement noted in patients with Dejour grades C and D dysplasia.
• This joint-preserving method shows satisfying results, even in patients with pre-existing degenerative changes.