Medial Patellar Instability: A Systematic Review of the Literature of Outcomes After Surgical Treatment.

Abstract

To perform a systematic review of literature reporting on outcomes after surgical treatment of medial patellar instability. A systematic review was performed according to PRISMA guidelines. Inclusion criteria were as follows: the outcomes and complications of medial patellar instability repair with a follow-up greater than 12 months, English language, and human studies. We excluded cadaveric studies, animal studies, basic science articles, editorial articles, review articles, and surveys. Searches identified 1,116 individual titles. After inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied, a total of 8 studies were identified. Three studies exclusively included patients with previous lateral release; 1 included patients with chronic instability; 1 included patients with both previous lateral release and other surgical causes; 1 study had patients with previous lateral release, spontaneous instability, and instability due to injury; 1 study included patients after tibial tubercle transfer surgery; and 1 study did not report the etiology of instability. Good to excellent outcomes were reported postoperatively in 85% of the patients after surgical treatment of medial patellar instability. However, clinical outcomes data for medial patellar ligament reconstruction is sparse and highly heterogeneous. There is inconsistency in the literature in regard to the indication, timing, and procedure. Level IV, systematic review of Level IV studies.