A Single Incision Technique for Medial Patellofemoral Ligament Repair with Augmentation Using a Reinforced Bio-Inductive Implant

Abstract

Patella dislocations and resultant recurrent instability commonly occur. Surgery for patella dislocation is indicated after subsequent dislocation or after an initial dislocation with articular cartilage injury of the patella or femur. The strength of an isolated medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) repair has been shown to be insufficient to prevent recurrent dislocation. Multiple different techniques to augment the MPFL repair using various autologous and allografts, as well as high tensile strength sutures or synthetic ligaments have been developed. Most of the techniques use two incisions: one near the patella and the other by the medial femoral condyle. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate a single incision technique for MPFL repair with augmentation using a reinforced bio-inductive (RBI) implant. The single-incision technique does have advantages over the two-incision techniques. Furthermore, the RBI implant is easily reproducible docked into the patella sockets without difficulty and has an initial inherent strength comparable to the semitendinosus. The RBI heals to bone and allows for infiltration of the patient’s own cells which strengthens the augmentation over time.