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J Knee Surg 2021; 34(02): 164-170
DOI: 10.1055/s-0039-1693730
Original Article

Posterior Knee Capsulotomy for the Relief of Patellofemoral Joint Pain: Long-Term Follow-up

Murilo Anderson Leie
1   Department of Medicine, Surgical Sciences, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
,
Jacqueline Vieira de Castro
2   Department of Medicine, Surgical Sciences, UFRGS, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
,
João Ellera Gomes
1   Department of Medicine, Surgical Sciences, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
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Abstract

Lack of full extension of the knee is a disabling condition that sometimes needs to be treated by a posterior capsulotomy of the knee. However, it is not clear if the full extension acquired can be kept throughout long-time follow-up. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 20 patients diagnosed with minimal flexion contracture of the knee who underwent open posterior capsulotomy between 1990 and 2010. All patients (100%) presented with a preoperative Lysholm's score classified as poor or fair (mean = 58.6 ± 13.8, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 52.3–64.9), but 14 patients (70%) experienced an improvement to good or excellent scores (mean = 87.6 ± 8.8, 95% CI: 83.6–91.6) after the follow-up. The mean preoperative angle of fixed flexion was 25.0 ± 9.1 degrees (95% CI: 20.8–29.2), and it decreased to 4.2 ± 4.1 degrees (95% CI: 2.3–6.1) after the follow-up. We conclude that posterior capsulotomy of the knee proved to be an effective procedure to treat properly patients with painful knees secondary to lack of full extension after 10.3 years of follow-up.

Keywords

flexion contracture - posterior capsulotomy - anterior knee pain


Publication History

Received: 11 December 2018

Accepted: 18 June 2019

Article published online:
07 August 2019

© 2019. Thieme. All rights reserved.

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