Isolated rupture of the vastus lateralis tendon: Case report

Abstract

We report a patient with a history of bariatric surgery who have an isolated rupture of the unilateral vastus lateralis tendon from the adhesion site on the patella. The diagnosis was missed in this case and was placed with magnetic resonance (MR) investigation of the patient during follow-up. A 40-year-old male patient felt pain in his knee after an awkward movement. Initially, because of his bariatric surgery, he had some other complaints, the diagnosis was missed, and the patient had conservative treatment and physical therapy applied. When complaints did not improve, MR was taken, and the vastus lateralis tendon was identified to have ruptured from the patella in isolation. Treated surgically, the patient had no new rupture on check-up performed 1 year later. The patient is fully healed. After the bariatric surgery, some metabolic changes and weakness at the osteotendinous junction of muscles may occur. Isolated vastus lateralis rupture is rarely observed, and diagnosis may be missed. In these patients, surgical treatment is required and other accompanying pathologies of the knee should also be treated at the same time.