Physeal-Sparing Medial Patellofemoral Ligament Reconstruction With Suture Anchor for Femoral Graft Fixation

Patellar instability is a common problem in the active pediatric population. When nonoperative treatment of the instability fails, growth-respecting surgical stabilization techniques are required. As the incidence of medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) reconstruction has increased, techniques have improved to avoid physeal injury to the distal femur. These techniques are technically demanding because of the small size of the distal femoral epiphysis in children, as well as the relatively large socket size (7-8 mm in diameter, >20 mm in length) required for sound fixation with a tenodesis screw as originally described. The size of the femoral tunnel for interference fixation puts the surrounding structures at risk of damage. We present a modification of the epiphyseal socket technique for anatomic growth-sparing MPFL reconstruction using a small soft anchor for femoral graft fixation. This has the proposed advantages of diminishing volumetric bony removal from the epiphysis; increasing the margin of safety with respect to notch, trochlear, and/or physeal damage; and reducing the risk of thermal damage to the physis during socket reaming. This technique is technically simple and can be easily learned by surgeons familiar with adult MPFL reconstruction techniques.