Patellar tendon rerupture in a footballer: our personal surgical technique and review of the literature.

Abstract

Patellar tendon rerupture is a relatively uncommon condition that severely compromises the function of the extensor mechanism of the knee. Few cases described in the literature does not show a unique mode of treatment for this type of lesion. We report the case of a young athlete with traumatic patellar tendon rerupture. The first rupture was treated with the use of Statak anchors. Following a second rerupture incident as a result of a sporting accodent, the tendon was reconstructed with the use of an autologous graft tendon of semitendinosus and biological augmentation with gracilis tendon. For both tendons the distal insertion part was preserved to facilitate the healing process. The treatment was completed with the application of a neutralization cerclage wire and with local injection of plateket reach plasma (PRP). At 12 months follow up, a full recovery of the structure and function of the extensor mechanism was observed and the patient was able to resume normal sports competitive activity.