Intra-operative patellar fracture during chronic patellar tendon rupture reconstruction: salvage and prophylactic modified techniques

Management of chronic neglected patellar tendon rupture represents a challenging condition for the orthopedic surgeons to deal with due to many factors such as quadriceps muscle atrophy, superior migration of the patella, e.g., patella alta, peri-patellar adhesions and patellar tendon atrophy. Such difficulties might be further complicated by intra-operative patellar fracture during patellar tendon reconstruction. In the current article, the authors report (1) a salvage procedure for such devastating intra-operative complication, based on bypassing the patella and gaining the advantage of the quadriceps tendon for structural and functional restoration of the knee extensor mechanism, and (2) prophylactically a technical modification of patellar tendon reconstruction guarding against such inadvertent patellar fracture.