Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015:2015:215796.
doi: 10.1155/2015/215796. Epub 2015 Apr 15.

Patellar Tendon Rupture after Lateral Release without Predisposing Systemic Disease or Steroid Use

S De Giorgi  1 , A Notarnicola  1 , G Vicenti  1 , B Moretti  1
Affiliations

Patellar Tendon Rupture after Lateral Release without Predisposing Systemic Disease or Steroid Use

S De Giorgi et al. Case Rep Orthop. 2015.

Abstract

Arthroscopic technique for lateral release is the most widely used procedure for the correction of recurrent dislocations of the patella. In the relevant literature, several complications of lateral release are described, but the spontaneous patellar tendon rupture has never been suggested as a possible complication of this surgical procedure. Patellar tendon rupture is a rather infrequent and often unilateral lesion. Nevertheless, in case of systemic diseases (LES, rheumatoid arthritis, and chronic renal insufficiency) that can weaken collagen structures, bilateral patellar tendon ruptures are described. We report a case of a 24-year-old girl with spontaneous rupture of patellar tendon who, at the age of 16, underwent an arthroscopic lateral release for recurrent dislocation of the patella. This is the first case of described spontaneous patellar tendon rupture that occurred some years after an arthroscopic lateral release.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Lack of the normal anatomy of the right knee. The femoral condyles can be palpated.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Active extension of the right knee was not possible although passive extension was complete.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The LL X-ray of the knee showed no fractures, but an evident proximal dislocation of the patella and some calcific deposits on its inferior pole.
Figure 4
Figure 4
IRM of the knee showed a rupture of patellar tendon near the osteotendinous junction under the inferior pole of the patella.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Kellersmann R., Blattert T. R., Weckbach A. Bilateral patellar tendon rupture without predisposing systemic disease or steroid use: a case report and review of the literature. Archives of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery. 2005;125(2):127–133. doi: 10.1007/s00402-004-0782-2. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Razzano C. D., Wilde A. H., Phalen G. S. Bilateral rupture of the infrapatellar tendon in rheumatoid arthritis. Clinical Orthopaedics & Related Research. 1973;91:158–161. - PubMed
    1. Zernicke R. F., Garhammer J., Jobe F. W. Human patellar tendon rupture: a kinetic analysis. The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery—American Volume. 1977;59(2):179–183. - PubMed
    1. Nordin M., Frankel V. H. Biomechanics of the knee. In: Nordin M., Frankel V. H., editors. Basic Biomechanics of the Musculoskeletal System. 2nd. Philadelphia, Pa, USA: Lea & Febiger; 1989. pp. 115–134.
    1. Prasad S., Lee A., Clarnette R., Faull R. Spontaneous, bilateral patellar tendon rupture in a woman with previous Achilles tendon rupture and systemic lupus erythematosus. Rheumatology. 2003;42(7):905–906. doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/keg218. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources