Two groups of patients with their first episode of traumatic patellofemoral acute dislocation were studied and prospectively followed up regarding recurrences and predisposing factors to dislocation. In Group I, 17 patients with mean age of 24.6 years old, being 11 females, were submitted to medial patellofemoral ligament repair within less than a month after trauma. The mean follow up time was 40.4 months and the least, 18 months. As a result, there was no recurrence of the dislocation, and two episodes of subdislocation. Nine patients presented predisposing factors to dislocation. In Group II, 15 patients with mean age of 26.8 years old, being eight females, were submitted to conservative treatment with 18.5 days of immobilization, in average. The mean follow-up time was 35.7 months and the least, 11 months. Eight knees presented recurrence of the dislocation, only two knees were regarded as stable. In this group, 14 patients had predisposing factors. We concluded that the surgical treatment of traumatic patellofemoral acute dislocations presents superior outcomes regarding recurrence when compared to the conservative approach within the period of study. The presence of predisposing factors in our patient series did not influence the recurrences of patellofemoral dislocations.
Knee; Patellar dislocation; Acute
