Neglected spontaneous bilateral rupture of the patellar tendon: a case report

A patient taking corticosteroids for rheumatoid arthritis experienced a spontaneous bilateral rupture of the patellar tendon. Initially neglected, the rupture was repaired surgically by tendinoplasty using the semitendinous tendon for the right knee and inversion of the quadriceps tendon for the left. Functional results were similar. On the right knee, the wire cerclage loosened leading to posterior sagittal displacement of the patella, pointing out the difficulties encountered when repairing neglected rupture of the patellar tendon. Due to the small number of cases and difficulties in assessing the techniques proposed, no large-scale series has been reported in the literature.