Treatment

Non operative treatment is usually unsuccessful and has few indications (1).

Optimal extensor function is re-established through surgery in both athletes and non athletes. superior results were seen in patients who had undergone immediate repair (within 2 to 6 weeks of the injury) while delayed diagnosis (for more than 6 weeks) was associated with complicated surgical repair and restoration.

Surgical technique of open patella tendon repair or reconstruction depends on factors like chronicity of the rupture, the site of the rupture, the relative skeletal maturity of the patient, and the quality of the tissue that is to be repaired

• surgical techniques used can be categorized into - acute repair, acute repair with augmentation, and chronic reconstruction
• primary repair can be carried out in skeletally mature patients with an acute rupture while augmentation or reconstruction generally is required for acute ruptures occurring as a result of a systemic process (e.g.- rheumatoid arthritis) or in the setting of a chronic rupture (1).
• with a complete rupture, transosseous tunnel fixation represents the most widely used method of primary repair (2)

Reference

1. Brinkman JC, Reeson E, Chhabra A. Acute Patellar Tendon Ruptures: An Update on Management. J Am Acad Orthop Surg Glob Res Rev. 2024 Apr 01;8(4)
2. Imbergamo C et al. Failure Rates of Suture Anchor Fixation Versus Transosseous Tunnel Technique for Patellar Tendon Repair: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Biomechanical Studies. Orthop J Sports Med. 2022 Aug;10(8):23259671221120212