Novel Device to Accurately Locate Femoral Insertion Landmark in Medial Patellofemoral Ligament (MPFL) Reconstruction

Medial Patello Femoral Ligament (MPFL) is the main stabilizer of the patellar bone in the knee complex. This fan shaped ligament prevents lateral dislocations of patella, especially during the initial 30° of knee flexion as there is minimal bony support from femur on the lateral aspect of the patella [1–2]. Patella dislocations are one of the common knee joint pathologies and it has been reported that each dislocation of the patella induces micro-tears in the MPFL [3]. It has been also observed in previous studies that there exists a very high chance of patellar re-dislocations for those individuals who have experienced the dislocation once. Complete MPFL rupture occurs in 94% of the patients suffering from repeated patellar dislocations [3–4]. Out of the 130 various methods of MPFL reconstruction, the Double Bundle Procedure is the most commonly used as it provides a larger degree of pain-free range of motion [5–8]. Locating the exact drilling location on the medial aspect of the patella and the medial femur is a challenge for the surgeon and literature suggests that the current procedure leads to non-anatomical placement of the ligament [9]. A novel device has been developed (Pat-Rig) to address the issue of locating the exact drill locations of the ligament graft tunnels into the patella [10–12]. This paper addresses the second problem of locating the femoral landmark accurately.