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Case Report

Delayed Reconstruction of a Quadriceps Tendon

  • Case Report
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Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research

Abstract

Rupture of the quadriceps tendon is an uncommon injury and rapid diagnosis is important because delay in surgical repair generally is believed to adversely affect outcome. One study of 20 patients suggests repair should be done during the first 48 to 72 hours postinjury to achieve a successful outcome and late repair led to unsatisfactory recovery. Cases of delayed tendon repair have been reported, the longest to our knowledge being 11 months before surgical intervention. We present a case of successful outcome of a quadriceps tendon rupture reconstructed at least 8 years after occurrence and a review of the literature of delayed reconstructions. We show that successful restoration of extensor mechanism function can be achieved several years after tendon rupture.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Robert Janowski from Kingston Hospital medical photography department and the media services department at St George’s Hospital Medical School for the illustrations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Kingston Hospital, Galsworthy Road, Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey, KT2 7QB, UK

    C. A. J. Pocock MRCS, S. P. Trikha FRCS (Orth) & J. S. P. Bell FRCS, FRCS (Orth)

Authors
  1. C. A. J. Pocock MRCS
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  2. S. P. Trikha FRCS (Orth)
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  3. J. S. P. Bell FRCS, FRCS (Orth)
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to J. S. P. Bell FRCS, FRCS (Orth).

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Each author certifies that he or she has no commercial associations (eg, consultancies, stock ownership, equity interest, patent/licensing arrangements, etc) that might pose a conflict of interest in connection with the submitted article.

Each author certifies that his or her institution has approved the reporting of this case report, that all investigations were conducted in conformity with ethical principles of research, and that informed consent for participation in the study was obtained.

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Pocock, C.A.J., Trikha, S.P. & Bell, J.S.P. Case Report. Clin Orthop Relat Res 466, 221–224 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11999-007-0002-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11999-007-0002-9

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