Medial patellofemoral ligament reconstruction

Abstract

In the past 15 years, the anatomy and function of the MPFL among the medial patellar stabilizers have been studied. The MPFL has a fan-shaped structure and runs from the proximal two-thirds of the medial margin of the patella to near the medial femoral epicondyle within layer II of the medial patellar stabilizers. The MPFL has 50% to 60% of the total restraining force among the medial patellar stabilizers. Operative explorations have shown MPFL insufficiency in all cases with recurrent patellar dislocation. The MPFL has been clarified to be a primary soft tissue restraint preventing lateral patellar translation among the medial patellar stabilizers. Therefore, many surgeons have recently begun to perform MPFL reconstruction for recurrent dislocation of the patella, and have shown good short-term or midterm results. In this report, the author describes the anatomy, biomechanics, and the remnant findings of the MPFL, and our MPFL reconstruction technique for recurrent patellar dislocation.