RESUMO
The goal of treatment of fracture of the patella is to gain accurate fracture reduction, secure fracture fixation, and early range of motion. In severely comminuted fractures of patella, open reduction requires extensive soft tissue dissection and high risk of infection. Furthermore, it is very difficult to get rigid fixation enough to allow early joint motion. An alternative in the management of severely comminuted patellar fractures is the technique of indirect reduction, in which the soft-tissue attachments of the individual fragments are preserved and used to reduce the fracture. Thirteen patients with fracture of the patella were treated by indirect method. Clinical analysis was done by using anterior knee pain score by Shelboume, Lysholm score, and radiological finding. The average Lysholm score was 88.3 and average anterior knee pain score 87.3. Nearly anatomic reduction was obtained in all cases. Indirect reduction seemed to be useful for the treatment of comminuted patella fracture due to minimal soft tissue damage, moderate rigid fixation to allow early joint motion.