Table 13.20.1 Open in new tab The...

Table 13.20.1

The differing clinical presentations of congenital and obligatory patella dislocation

Congenital dislocation	Obligatory dislocation
Patella dislocated laterally—fixed	Patella dislocates and reduces spontaneously with knee flexion and extension
Often obvious in infancy	Usually present with deformity at 5–10 years
Usually part of a generalized syndrome	Usually an isolated anomaly
Flexion contracture	Knee ROM normal
Frequently present with functional difficulty	Often well tolerated with little functional disability
Early surgical correction	Surgery delayed until symptomatic

Congenital dislocation	Obligatory dislocation
Patella dislocated laterally—fixed	Patella dislocates and reduces spontaneously with knee flexion and extension
Often obvious in infancy	Usually present with deformity at 5–10 years
Usually part of a generalized syndrome	Usually an isolated anomaly
Flexion contracture	Knee ROM normal
Frequently present with functional difficulty	Often well tolerated with little functional disability
Early surgical correction	Surgery delayed until symptomatic