Suprapatellar plica: a study of their occurrence and role in internal derangement of the knee in active duty personnel.
Over the past two years, 380 knee procedures have been reviewed to determine the number of suprapatellar plicas that were observed as contributing factors in the patello-femoral derangement problems of active duty personnel seen at the Naval Regional Medical Center in Charleston. Fiftyeight cases with a follow-up of greater than six months were found in which a suprapatellar plica was considered to be pathological, and was removed. The surgical cases involving a plicectomy, a plicectomy and partial chondrectomy of the patella, a plicectomy and menisectomy, or a plicectomy and extensor reconstruction of the patella were followed to determine whether the patients with these conditions returned to full active duty. It was felt that because of the rigors required for shipboard activities, a return to full active duty was considered a good result. One hundred percent of the cases treated by plicectomy and menisectomy were able to return to full active duty after six months. Eighty percent of the cases treated by plicectomy, extensor reconstruction, and partial chondrectomy of the patella were able to return to full shipboard activities.A more detailed look at the knees that had a plicectomy alone, with a pathologic plica as its only internal derangement, showed that 40% had an excellent result with a return to full active duty and unlimited sports activities. Another 44% had a good result with a return to their full shipboard responsibilities.
D J
DJ
Blatz
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R
Fleming
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J
McCarroll