Traumatic Pediatric Quadriceps Rupture After Medial Patellofemoral Ligament Reconstruction: A Case Report.

CASE: A healthy 14-year-old boy, who presented with recurrent patellar instability, underwent medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) reconstruction. Four weeks following this operation, the patient slipped and fell while wearing his knee brace and was found to have sustained a quadriceps tendon rupture.

CONCLUSIONS

We present a case of a rare, previously undescribed complication following an MPFL reconstruction in a young athlete. The etiology of this particular injury pattern may be due to a disruption of the vascular supply to the superior pole of the patella. Orthopaedic surgeons performing these reconstructions should be aware of this unusual complication.