Background <p>In orthopedics clinic, patellofemoral arthrosis is a special type of osteoarthritis and yet the surgical methods are still debatable.</p> Methods <p>We retrospectively reviewed 94 patients with knee patellofemoral arthrosis who were underwent knee arthroscopic exploration and debridement only or underwent arthroscopic release of the lateral patellar retinaculum at the same time. LPFA, PTA, PSA as well as WOMAC, Lysholm, Kujala and VAS scores were used to evaluate the clinical outcomes between two groups.</p> Results <p>All patients were followed up for more than one year. The LPFA and PTA were improved after surgeries. The postoperative Lysholm and Kujala scores of both groups were higher and the postoperative WOMAC and VAS scores were lower than those of preoperatively. There was no significant difference between two groups at 6 months, while at 12 months, observation group were better than those of control group.</p> Conclusions <p>Arthroscopic release of lateral patellar retinaculum is effective in the treatment of patellofemoral arthrosis.</p>