Patellofemoral Resurfacing

There has been a proliferation of new patellofemoral implants, which reflects an increasing interest in this topic on the part of the orthopedic community. The procedure, patellofemoral resurfacing (patellofemoral replacement), remains a niche procedure reserved for patients with patellofemoral arthritis who are unlikely to develop femorotibial arthritis in their lifetime and for patients considered too young or too active to receive a total knee replacement. In this work we review basic principles common to all types of patellofemoral replacements, and we differentiate between replacements that resurface the trochlea and those that resect it, those that begin at the level of the native trochlea, and those that begin proximal to it.