[Reconstruction of the medial patellofemoral ligament with patellar tendon autograft--preliminary report].

AIM OF THE STUDY

The purpose of the study is to estimate the preliminary results of the medial patellofemoral ligament reconstruction with medial strip of patellar tendon autograft.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The study was conducted on 6 patients with post-traumatic recurrent patellar dislocation, with an equal number of males and females, aged 18-35 years (mean 27). Follow-up assessments were performed in 4, 12 weeks and 6, 12 months after the surgery. Patients were surveyed pre- and postoperatively with questionnaires, such as: the Kujala score, Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Study (KOOS) and SF-36 Health Survey, version 2.

RESULTS

No recurrent dislocation was found in patients after the surgery. The mean Kujala score was 49 points (range 38-64) preoperatively and 83 points (range 70-98) at follow-up. In the KOOS scores the improvement was seen in all scales. The SF-36 score revealed improvement in bodily pain, general health, mental health and physical functioning domains.

CONCLUSIONS

The preliminary results indicate that the medial patellofemoral ligament reconstruction by using a medial strip of the patellar ligament autograft should be considered as effective as other surgeries with different sources of the graft. Restriction of the extent of the procedure to soft tissues without the involvement of the tubercle bony attachment and without drilling holes in the patella and the femur, as well as decreasing the number of implants to only one screw anchor, might lead to reduction of postoperative complications, with no negative effect on clinical results.