Reconstruction of a Chronic Quadriceps Tendon Rupture in an Elderly Polio Patient

Quadriceps tendon tears are uncommon lesions and their diagnosis can be missed in up to 50% of cases. We report a case of a 83-year-old man with polio who has a chronic quadriceps tendon tear in a healthy limb. A modified Codivilla technique augmented with an ipsilateral semitendinosus tendon was performed. Partial weight bearing was allowed immediately after surgery, and at 3 months the patient was able to walk with full weight bearing on the involved limb. The 5-year follow-up MRI showed good quadriceps tendon healing with the full integration of the tendon graft. Tendon repair with autograft augmentation represents a potential and effective solution in elderly patients with a chronic quadriceps tendon tear.