Complete quadriceps tendon ruptures

Forty-four patients with 53 quadriceps tendon ruptures were studied retrospectively with an average follow up of 67.2 months (range: 24 to 155). The type of repair was not associated with differences in functional outcome, patient satisfaction, range of motion, or isokinetic testing. Patients with a delay in surgical treatment in comparison to those immediately repaired had significantly worse functional results (P < .05), lower satisfaction scores (P < .05), and lower isokinetic data for both the injured and uninjured extremities, however, their range of motion and comparative extensor power results were nearly identical. On reviewing all patients, the ultimate range of motion was within an average of 2 degrees of the uninjured side in nearly all patients. Based on the results of this study, all surgical methods can be expected to give comparable results as long as treatment is begun within 1 week of the injury. Regaining range of motion comparable to the uninjured side was not a problem in this series despite a delay in treatment.