Surgical Treatment of Patellofemoral Instability

OBJECTIVE To describe functional outcomes following surgical treatment of patients with patellofemoral instability submitted to patellar realignment. METHODS This was a retrospective study evaluating 34 operated knees for patellofemoral instability between 1989 and 2004. The patients were evaluated in the late postoperative period when a functional questionnaire was applied. RESULTS After a mean follow-up time of 6 years and 5 months, the mean score was 82.94 in the surgical group (p=0.00037). The results of this investigation showed pain relief in 97.05% and low rate of recurrent dislocation (5.88%), although lower scores were seen in intense articular activities (squatting, running and jumping). No patient developed osteoarthritis while being followed up. CONCLUSION The procedure for joint described in this paper was shown to be effective for treating patients with recurrent patellofemoral instability.