Arthroscopic repair of medial patellofemoral ligament avulsion in acute patellar dislocation in skeletally immature patient--a case report.

Abstract

Acute patellar dislocation is a severe injury to the knee and usually manifests with symptoms such as giving way, a sensation of lateral displacement of the patella accompanied by hemarthrosis and tenderness over the medial epicondylar region to palpation. Spontaneous reduction of the patella makes the diagnosis more difficult in initial evaluation. Radiographs often show a small bony avulsion at the medial border of the patella, which may represent an injury to the medial restraints. Magnetic resonance imaging may show a bone bruise on the medial patella, and/or on the lateral femoral condyle. The medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) may be avulsed distally, proximally or sustain in interstitial tear. Arthroscopic findings include hematoma and chondral or osteochondral lesions located on the central or medial facet of the patella or on the anterior lateral femoral condyle. We report a case of a patellar avulsion of medial patellofemoral ligament in a skeletally immature patient.