Accessory fragment migration in a professional baseball player with bipartite patella: A case report

Bipartite patella (BP) is usually recognized as an incidental radiographic finding. Therefore, no reports have observed the process of accessory fragment migration. We present the case of a professional baseball pitcher with significant migration of the fragment during follow-up.

A 26-year-old man was diagnosed with symptomatic BP and underwent conservative therapy. Eleven months later, he was unable to play baseball because of gradually worsening knee pain without obvious trauma. On radiographs, the accessory fragment which had located at the superolateral pole 11 months earlier migrated posterolaterally. The diagnosis of Saupe's type III BP was established, and open excision of the accessory fragment was performed. Postoperatively, full-weight-bearing walking and range-of-motion exercises were started the day after surgery. Three months after surgery, he could pitch with all his power without pain.

Since our patient was a professional baseball right-handed pitcher who needed to step strongly on his left knee during pitching, strong traction force from the vastus lateralis was likely to have been repeatedly applied to the accessory fragment. It might lead to migration of the accessory fragment. The open excision of the accessory fragment was performed because the accessory fragment had migrated away from the patella body.

We report a case of professional baseball player with symptomatic BP, in which case the chronological migration of the accessory fragment was observed without obvious trauma. When the accessory fragment is identified without obvious trauma, one of the differential diseases could be a BP.