Surgical Repair of a Neglected Patellar Tendon Rupture

Abstract

Neglected rupture of the patellar tendon is rare, as this type of injury is typically disabling in the acute setting. We present a 31-year-old male patient who sustained a left patellar tendon rupture while playing basketball. The diagnosis of patellar tendon rupture was neglected by the patient and care was delayed by 8 months. The proximally retracted patella and distally detached patellar tendon were brought back to their anatomic positions and repaired surgically while avoiding the use of autograft or allograft tissue due to fat interposition maintaining the patellar tendon length. This case report contributes to the scarce literature on surgical management of neglected patellar tendon rupture and presents a unique radiologic appearance of a chronic patellar tendon rupture.