title: Radiographic analysis of factors predisposing toward tendon tears in the knee extensor mechanism.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  to review radiographs of patients who suffered tendon tears of the knee extensor apparatus and observe alterations that might be factors predisposing toward this type of injury.
  
  
  METHODS
  we retrospectively analyzed 60 cases of injury to the knee extensor mechanism that were treated surgically at the Miguel Couto Municipal Hospital between March 2004 and March 2011. Four patients were excluded due to poor quality of the examination.
  
  
  RESULTS
  of the 56 patients evaluated, 23 were considered to be normal and 33 presented radiographic alterations. Among these, eight (24.3%) presented suprapatellar osteophytes alone; seven (21.2%), infrapatellar calcification; seven (21.2%), suprapatellar calcification; six (18.2%), supra- and infrapatellar osteophytes; and five (15.1%), infrapatellar osteophytes alone.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  radiographic alterations were frequently observed in patients with extensor mechanism tears.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rodrigo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pires E Albuquerque
authors.affiliation: Hospital dos Servidores do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: André Luiz Siqueira
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Campos
authors.affiliation: Hospital dos Servidores do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: José Félix
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Dos Santos Neto
authors.affiliation: Serviço de Ortopedia e Traumatologia Professor Nova Monteiro do Hospital Municipal Miguel Couto, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: Evaldo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Karam
authors.affiliation: Serviço de Ortopedia e Traumatologia Professor Nova Monteiro do Hospital Municipal Miguel Couto, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: José Guilherme
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Neves
authors.affiliation: Serviço de Ortopedia e Traumatologia Professor Nova Monteiro do Hospital Municipal Miguel Couto, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: Paulo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Di Tullio
authors.affiliation: Serviço de Ortopedia e Traumatologia Professor Nova Monteiro do Hospital Municipal Miguel Couto, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Giordano
authors.affiliation: Serviço de Ortopedia e Traumatologia Professor Nova Monteiro do Hospital Municipal Miguel Couto, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ney Pecegueiro
authors.initials: NP
authors.lastname: do Amaral
keywords: Knee; Knee injuries; Rupture