Bilateral Quadriceps Tendon Rupture: A Rare Finding in a Healthy Man After Minimal Trauma

Abstract

Quadriceps tendon rupture is an uncommon injury; the incidence of simultaneous bilateral quadriceps tendon rupture is extremely rare. Two distinct categories-individuals older than 50 years and between 27 and 54 years-have been described. Bilateral quadriceps tendon rupture is more common in patients older than 50 years and is thought to be the result of tendon weakening due to obesity and arteriosclerosis-induced fibrotic changes, or previous injury.In younger individuals, bilateral simultaneous quadriceps rupture is less frequent and has been associated with anabolic steroid use, but more frequently with underlying comorbid medical conditions such as chronic renal failure, hyperparathyroidism, endocrine disorder, gout, diabetes and obesity, which predispose the patients to tendon rupture. Our case report is unique because we report the simultaneous bilateral quadriceps tendon rupture following minor trauma in an otherwise healthy 43-year-old man with no predisposing comorbidity.

Quadriceps tendon injuries

“…Although they can happen in young population [6,7], as it was the case in 13% of our sample, the greatest risk is in the fifth and the sixth decades of life [2,3,22,23]. As it has been shown in our study, men are more commonly affected [3,19,22] for reasons not well described in literature.…”

“…Quadriceps tendon ruptures are rare injuries, and they are presented most often as individual case reports [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] or reported as small series of 20-39 patients [3,[16][17][18]. Less than a hundred cases of bilateral tendon ruptures have been published in international literature until now [2][3][4].…”

Outcomes After Knee Joint Extensor Mechanism Disruptions

“…12 A meta-analysis of bilateral injuries reported a total of 105 cases with the largest being a series of 3 cases. These bilateral injuries are commonly described as case reports due to their rarity of occurrence and are usually associated with systemic disorders like, renal failure, endocrine disorders, steroid use, diabetes, and rarely in healthy individuals.…”

Quadriceps Tendon Injuries

“…Quadriceps tendon ruptures are rare injuries, and they are presented most often as individual case reports [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] or reported as small series of 20-39 patients [3,[16][17][18]. Less than a hundred cases of bilateral tendon ruptures have been published in international literature until now [2-4].…”