Rupture of the quadriceps tendon is an uncommon injury observed predominant
ly in subjects over 40 years old. Multiple surgical techniques have been em
ployed to repair fresh and neglected ruptures; methods that make use of all
ograft and augmentation with tissues harvested from around the knee have be
en reported. We describe a case of surgical repair of a tendon-bone junctio
n rupture in a 61-year-old patient by use of suture anchors to attach the t
endon to bone and improve fixation of the soft tissue elements, Clinical di
agnosis of rupture was confirmed radiographically and echographically. Surg
ical repair was performed within 24 hours of injury. Active movement of the
knee started after 3 weeks and the patient was permitted to walk without w
eight-bearing with a knee cage. Three weeks later, he was permitted to walk
with full weight-bearing unassisted by crutches; the knee cage was removed
6 weeks after surgery. At his most recent follow-up 24 months postoperativ
e, quadriceps strength was equal to that of the controlateral knee and the
patient has returned to sports and daily activities. The surgical method pr
esented here provides a suture of the tendon ends without putting excess st
ress on the suture line during the period of early knee mobilization. Advan
tages over other techniques include reduced operative time, easy access to
the implantation site, and better resistance of the suture material: the pa
tient is thus able to initiate physical therapy earlier and more aggressive
ly.