Z-plasty lateral retinacular release for the treatment of patellar compression syndrome.

Lateral retinacular release by Z-plasty technique in selected patients provides a relatively simple procedure for relief of symptoms in patellar compression syndrome and is a satisfactory initial surgical procedure in cases not responding to conservative therapy. Unfortunately, there is no specific symptom complex, physical finding, radiographic finding, or arthrotomy finding which delineates the patient with patellar compression syndrome who will benefit from an isolated lateral retinacular release. Some patients may require further extensor mechanism realignment procedures (e.g., medial capsular reefing, tibial tubercle transplantation, tibial tubercle elevation, etc.) to relieve the aggravating symptoms of parapatellar and retropatellar pain.