PMC8616684_01
Preoperative lateral radiographs of the (a) left knee and (b) right knee.
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Plain radiographs of the left knee showed patella alta (Figure 1).
Fat-suppressed T2-weighted sagittal magnetic resonance image of the left knee shows rupture of the left patellar tendon.
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Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) confirmed a complete rupture of the proximal patellar tendon (Figure 2).
Intraoperative view of the left knee (a) and final view of the augmented repair using an internal brace technique (b).
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The patellar tendon and extensor retinaculum were completely torn at the proximal portion (Figure 3(a)). The free ends of the suture tape were passed through a second SwiveLock suture anchor, and the suture anchor was fully inserted just lateral and medial to the tibial tubercle with the knee at 60  of flexion (Figure 3(b)).
The patient has regained full active extension at 1 month postoperatively.
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At 1 month postoperatively, full active extension could be achieved without an extension lag (Figure 4).
Postoperative lateral radiograph of the left knee at follow-up 12 months after the operation.
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At the final follow-up, 12 months postoperatively, he was symptom-free with a full range of motion, and he regained preinjury functional levels (Figure 5).