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Irreducible patella dislocations are rare and are usually associated with complex mechanisms. The authors report the clinical case of an irreducible lateral patellar dislocation due to an anatomical variant. The authors assisted a 16-year-old patient who presented with a lateral patella dislocation that was impossible to reduce by closed manipulation, even under general anesthesia. During the imaging study, the computed tomography (CT) exam showed a notch in the medial facet of the patella, impacted in the lateral condyle, which prevented the reduction. This anatomical variant was later confirmed during surgery. In a bilateral follow-up CT, this variant was also present in the contralateral, normal knee, excluding traumatic reshaping as the reason for this patellar notch. The authors used a medial parapatellar approach for open reduction of the dislocation and to repair the medial retinaculum. According to Wiberg, there are three different patella types. The authors describe a variation of type III patella with a notch in the medial border that is not included in the previous classification. They emphasize the importance of a CT study in the presence of an irreducible dislocation and the recognition of this anatomical variant of the patella, as further aggressive maneuvers have proven to be unsuccessful. Open reduction appears to be the best option in this scenario.

The biggest challenge in the treatment of acute ankle sprain is the uncertainty of the prognosis. The traditional classifications have several interpretations and little correlation with prognosis. In this study we propose a new classification for acute ankle sprain only based on clinical criteria.We prospectively evaluated all patients with an ankle sprain, aged between 18 and 45 years, admitted to a hospital during a 24 month period. The minimum follow-up period was 12 months. The sprains were classified, in the first few days (CASCaIS-Initial), according to autonomous gait capacity, inspection and palpation. After a few weeks (CASCaIS-Deferred), it was complemented with the mechanical evaluation of ligaments through the ankle pivot test.Among the 49 patients who completed the follow-up, none of those who had a pivot-negative test progressed to chronic ankle instability (CAI). Nine of the 33 patients (27%) with a positive pivot progressed to CAI (p = 0.022). The evaluation of CASCaIS-Deferred demonstrated an association with CAI (p = 0.018).This classification proved to be a simple, inexpensive, and reliable tool that clinicians can use to determine the prognosis of the sprain.Introdução: O maior desafio no tratamento da entorse aguda do tornozelo é a indefinição do prognóstico. As classificações clássicas têm várias interpretações e pouca correlação com o prognóstico. Com este trabalho propomos uma nova classificação baseada apenas em critérios clínicos.Material e Métodos: Foram prospectivamente avaliados doentes entre os 18 e os 45 anos com entorse aguda do tornozelo, admitidos numa instituição durante 24 meses. O seguimento mínimo teve uma duração de 12 meses. Estes doentes foram classificados nos primeiros dias após a entorse (CASCaIS-Inicial) com base na valorização da capacidade de marcha autónoma, inspeção do quadro inflamatório e palpação. Passadas algumas semanas (CASCaIS-Diferida) complementou-se com a avaliação ligamentar pelo teste de pivot do tornozelo.Resultados: Dos 49 doentes que completaram o seguimento, nenhum dos que tinha um teste pivot-negativo evoluiu para instabilidade crónica do tornozelo (ICT). Nove dos 33 doentes (27%) com um pivot-positivo evoluíram para ICT (p = 0,022). A avaliação da CASCaIS-Diferida demonstrou uma associação com a ICT (p = 0,018).Conclusão: Esta classificação demonstrou ser uma ferramenta simples, não dispendiosa e fiável que os clínicos poderão usar para determinar o prognóstico da entorse.