Knotless Anchor with FiberTape® for Fixing Pure Distal Patellar Tendon Rupture. A Case Report

J Orthop Case Rep. 2024 May;14(5):130-135. doi: 10.13107/jocr.2024.v14.i05.4460.

Abstract

Introduction: The extensor mechanism and patellar tendon (PT) are considered essential components. Adult PT avulsion from the tibial tubercle is uncommon, with little information in the literature. Technical challenges arise during injury management. Knotless anchors have several applications in treating tendon injuries, such as the rotator cuff, distal biceps, and quadriceps tendons but were not used to repair distal PT avulsions.

Case report: A 50-year-old male patient, an active adult, presented to emergency department with significant right knee pain, giving away and limitation of range of motion (ROM) that had started after he sustained direct trauma with a ground-level fall on his knee that morning.

Conclusion: In this paper, we report a case and describe a technique to manage a rare presentation of pure distal PT rupture without an avulsion fracture using knotless anchors with FiberTape®, which showed excellent results. To the best of our knowledge, this technique has never been used before in such injury and anatomical location. At 2 years of follow-up, the patient is free of complaints with almost full ROM at the knee and back to his standard daily life activity.

Keywords: Anchors; patellar tendon; spontaneous rupture.

Publication types

  • Case Reports