Medial reefing versus medial patellofemoral ligament reconstruction for patellar instability

The standard surgical treatment for patellar instability has been lateral release and medial reefing proximally, with a Roux-Goldthwaite tendon transfer distally. More recently, reconstruction of the medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) has become popular. The aim of this study was to determine whether MPFL reconstruction improved the functional outcomes over patients treated with medial reefing. A group of 28 knees in 25 patients treated with a MPFL reconstruction were identified and matched for age and gender with 28 operated knees in 27 patients treated with a medial reefing. Clinical assessment included pre-operative and 1 year Kujala scores. Radiological assessment used the Dejour protocol. The two groups were comparable with respect to gender, age, pre-operative Kujala score, type of trochlear dysplasia, tibial tubercle–trochlear groove distance and patellar tilt angle. It was concluded that although there was better patellar tracking at 1 year with an MPFL reconstruction compared to medial reefing, there was no significant functional improvement as measured by the Kujala score.