Treatment of Patellar Chondral Lesions With Concomitant Matrix-Induced Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation, Medial Patellofemoral Ligament Reconstruction, and Tibial Tubercle Osteotomy

The US Food and Drug Administration approved matrix-induced autologous chondrocyte implantation (MACI) for use in the United States in 2016, and it has proven to be an effective treatment for articular cartilage defects in the knee. Concomitant patellar stabilization and realignment procedures, such as tibial tubercle osteotomy (TTO) and medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) reconstruction, are often performed with MACI to prevent further damage to the knee and to sustain the integrity of the cartilage repair. This Technical Note aims to describe MACI in the patella with concomitant patellar stabilization and realignment and to provide a treatment algorithm for when various simultaneous procedures are indicated. The authors believe that correction of patellar malalignment and instability is crucial to the success of cartilage repair procedures. Therefore, we recommend that TTO and MPFL reconstruction be performed with MACI procedures of the patella when the anatomic pathology and pertinent patient history, such as articular cartilage defects with patellar instability and abnormal patellar alignment, are present.