title: Patella tendon rupture after arthroscopic resection of the prepatellar bursa--a case report.
abstract: The use of arthroscopic techniques for excision of the pre-patellar bursa has become more common in recent years for the treatment of prepatellar bursitis. The current literature includes several case series that report few complications with this technique. We report the case of a 73-year-old male who sustained a low-energy patella tendon rupture 2 months after arthroscopic resection of the prepatellar bursa. We hypothesize that during arthroscopic excision of the prepatellar bursa there was an iatrogenic injury to the patellar tendon, which contributed to the subsequent rupture. Surgical repair was successfully performed using an open technique with a 1-year follow-up. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of patella tendon rupture following arthroscopic excision of the prepatellar bursa.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Epstein
authors.forename: Craig M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Capeci
authors.forename: Andrew S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Rokito
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001182:Arthroscopy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D002061:Bursa, Synovial / Q000601:surgery*; D002062:Bursitis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007049:Iatrogenic Disease; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D017847:Patellar Ligament / Q000293:injuries* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular; D020127:Recovery of Function; D012086:Reoperation; D012421:Rupture; D013708:Tendon Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D016896:Treatment Outcome