Arthroscopic trochleoplasty for patellar instability

5 Safety

This section describes safety outcomes from the published literature that the Committee considered as part of the evidence about this procedure. For more detailed information on the evidence, see the interventional procedure overview.

5.1 No infections, cartilage flake breakage or necrosis were reported in the case series of 31 patients.

5.2 Suspected infection from the superolateral portal was reported, within 3 months of arthroscopic trochleoplasty, in 1 patient in a case series of 8 patients. This was resolved with oral antibiotic treatment.

5.3 The specialist advisers listed theoretical adverse events as pain, stiffness, persistent instability, chondrolysis, non‑union, the inability to correctly visualise the amount of correction needed, and the inability to securely fix down the flaps to the deepened groove.