In an effort to evaluate the use of a transverse incision and a
relatively small elevation (1.25 centimeters) of the tendinous insertion of
the patellar ligament into the tibial tubercle, 184 patients were treated
with a modified procedure using the Maquet principle. The indications for
the procedure were patellofemoral pain and loss of active function. The
patients were placed in five groups based on the cause of their symptoms:
chondromalacia, patellofemoral arthritis, patellar dislocation, previous
trauma, and previous patellectomy. The results were evaluated on the basis
of whether or not primary wound-healing was satisfactory and whether or not
the patient resumed the ability to ascend stairs and could engage in
previously lost athletic function, Eighty-five per cent of the patients
achieved these goals of treatment. The disadvantages of the procedure
appeared to be the slow return of full function (averaging six months),
prominence of the area of the tibial tubercle, and persistence of crepitus
on patellofemoral motion.