NOTES - Surgical Procedures :

Trochleoplasty - - Posted by fgazitua (fgazitua), 6 April 2004

Hi, my name is Felipe and I'm a 19 year old chilean. I've been living for the past five or six years with continuos sub-luxations of my left patella, which have become a major problem in my sport life. I can no longer play soccer, not even as a goalkeeper without the fear of an inminet sub-luxation. As far as I can count I have suffered at leats 12 sub luxations during this time without cartilage or bone damage. I've asked many experts in my country, who showed me that the reason of these sub-luxations is that my trochlear groove (the space in the tibia in which the patella moves) is almost unexistent. The last doctor I saw, said that I needed surgery because of the extreme situation I've told you. I believe the surgery he offered me is the TTT which I've read about in this page, but he also mentioned a surgery called trochleoplasty, that as he told me is only done in France. As you can see I'm very worried about my situation and fully willing to get better so I would really thank any help you could give me on this matter, especially information about trochleoplasty.

P.S: Sorry if my English isn't good enough.
Posted by anasta5ia (anasta5ia), 7 April 2004

Felipe-

Chances are, your OS was describing a TTT procedure.  I am also plagued with severe trochlear dysplasia, but a trochleoplasty is not even an option for me.  They have a very low success rate and even if the actual bone in the femur heals properly, the surface of the patella no longer matches that of the trochlea and very sever arthritis can set in extremely quickly.

You may want to ask your OS if the medial retinacular structures are intact as if they have been torn your patella will sublux even more easily.

Good luck with all of this.  If you have any other questions, feel free to IM me.

-Heather G.
Posted by Helena (Helena KTF), 9 April 2004

I have the same thing. The trocheoplasty was never an option (would travel to France for this but I was told it was a no-go). My patella has deformed due to the many years of subluxations and dislocations, I am being told to leav it like this or it'll only get worse. Had a Fulkerson TTT and so far I am happy with the results.
Sorry i can't be much more of a help

~Helena

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