• F Mille, A Adam, S Aubry, G Leclerc, X Ghislandi, P Sergent, and P Garbuio.
• Service d'Orthopédie, de Traumatologie, de Chirurgie Plastique, Reconstructrice et Assistance Main, CHI Vesoul - CHRU Besançon & CIC IT, 808 Bd Fleming, 25033, Besançon, France. mille.fanny@gmail.com.
• Eur J Orthop Surg Tr. 2016 Jan 1; 26 (1): 85-92.

IntroductionQuadriceps tendon avulsions are typically treated by reattaching the tendon through bone tunnels, with or without tendon or hardware augmentation. The operated knee joint can be moved right away; however, tendon grafting or tension banding will be required to protect the repair, and the hardware must be removed later on. The goal of this study was to evaluate the clinical and functional outcomes when suture anchors are used to reattached torn quadriceps tendon, and also to assess tendon healing using MRI.Materials And MethodsThirteen consecutive patients with avulsed quadriceps tendons were operated and then followed prospectively. The surgical technique consisted of tendon reattachment using at least three anchors, in addition to intratendinous weaving of the sutures. Weight bearing was allowed while using a splint. Rehabilitation was initiated immediately after surgery according to a set protocol.ResultsEleven patients were followed for a mean of 14.7 months. Two retears occurred in patients who did not wear the splint. Eighty-two per cent of patients were satisfied or very satisfied with the outcome. The mean knee flexion was 124.5°. All patients were able to return to their pre-injury activity levels. The mean time for clinical and functional recovery was 3 months. MRI performed 6 months after the surgical repair revealed good tendon healing.DiscussionThis was the first prospective study performed on quadriceps avulsion patients undergoing suture anchor repair. Prior clinical case reports have shown that this method leads to predictable clinical and functional results. Our results were comparable to those in published cases.ConclusionThe procedure is simpler when only suture anchors are used. Tendon healing was observed on MRI in all cases. This simple, reproducible technique is free of the drawbacks associated with the typical repair augmentation.

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