title: Iatrogenic Medial Patellar Instability: An Avoidable Injury.
abstract: Iatrogenic medial patellar instability is a specific condition that frequently causes incapacitating anterior knee pain, severe disability, and serious psychological problems. The diagnosis should be suspected in a patient who has undergone previous patellar realignment surgery that has made the pain worse. The diagnosis can be established by physical examination and simple therapeutic tests (e.g., "reverse" McConnell taping) and confirmed by imaging techniques. This iatrogenic condition should no longer exist and could almost be eliminated by avoiding over-release of the lateral retinaculum.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Hospital 9 de Octubre, Valencia, Spain. Electronic address: vicente.sanchis.alfonso@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Vicente
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sanchis-Alfonso
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, U.S.A.; Department of Orthopedic Surgery, El Camino Hospital, Mountain View, California, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Alan C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Merchant
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D007049:Iatrogenic Disease; D007593:Joint Instability / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000601:surgery; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000601:surgery; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology; D010329:Patella / Q000601:surgery; D031222:Patellar Dislocation / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000601:surgery; D010808:Physical Examination