Superior Dislocation of the Patella in a Young Patient without Osteophytes: A Case Report with Discussion about Differential Diagnosis

Abstract

We report a case of superior dislocation of the patella in a young woman without degenerative changes. We retrospectively analyzed the clinical and imaging data obtained from the patient. This article describes a rare case of patellar dislocation following a bicycle fall in a 19-year-old woman without any history of patellofemoral complaints. Our literature search yielded 28 case reports; however, most reports describe older individuals with osteoarthritis. Only two reports have previously described this lesion in young patients without osteophytes, but some features, like an increase of the patella tilt, may raise doubts about whether it would be better to classify them as a vertical dislocation of the patella, another quite rare lesion, or just as a variant of a superior dislocation.