"Staged Reconstruction of Chronic Patella Alta with Ilizarov fixator and Achilles Tendon Allograft: A Case report"

Jordan Carter; Amr Abdelgawad; Ahmed M Thabet

doi:10.13107/jocr.2021.v11.i11.2514

"Staged Reconstruction of Chronic Patella Alta with Ilizarov fixator and Achilles Tendon Allograft: A Case report"

J Orthop Case Rep. 2021 Nov;11(11):54-58. doi: 10.13107/jocr.2021.v11.i11.2514.

Authors

Jordan Carter¹, Amr Abdelgawad², Ahmed M Thabet³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Orthopedics, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, Texas, USA.
² Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Maimonides Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York, USA.
³ Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, El Paso, Texas, USA.

Abstract

Introduction: Chronic patella alta after chronic patellar tendon rupture or patella fracture non-union is a challenging condition to treat.

Case report: In this report, we present the case of a 50-year-old male with inferior patellar pole fracture with non-union and chronic patella alta from a chain saw accident 12 years before presentation. An Ilizarov frame was used to reduce the patella to anatomic position before reconstructive surgery for knee extensor mechanism repair using an Achilles tendon allograft.

Conclusion: This case demonstrated the efficacy of the Ilizarov frame in the setting of chronic patella alta where primary repair would have been impossible due to significant scar tissue formation and quadriceps contracture.

Keywords: Achilles tendon allograft; Ilizarov; chronic patellar tendon rupture; distraction histogenesis; external fixator frame; knee extensor mechanism reconstruction; patella alta.

Publication types

Case Reports