CONCLUSIONS
Displaced fractures of the patella are challenging injuries that have historically been
associated with inferior surgical options resulting in prolonged postoperative rehabilitation protocols, persistent anterior knee pain, and poor patient satisfaction scores. We believe that the use of a low profile, custom Synthes mesh plate (Synthes; West Chester, PA) applied circumferentially to the lateral half of the patella with multiplanar fixation permits stable, anatomic fixation of patella fractures and addresses the problems associated with inferior pole comminution and implant prominence. Further, exposure through a lateral parapatellar arthrotomy provides direct visualization of the reduction and articular surface without compromising the primary vascular supply of the patella. Overall, we believe that the presented
technique for fixation of patellar fractures represents a superior fixation strategy to existing methods and we recommend its use for the majority of fracture patterns.