Bilateral spontaneous quadriceps tendon ruptures after staged bilateral total knee arthroplasties: A case report

Quadriceps tendon ruptures are rare complications of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and may be associated with preexisting tendon degeneration, vascular injuries during surgery, damage to the quadriceps tendon with over resection of the patella, or incomplete healing after a particular surgical approach. Moreover, postoperative causes include tissue necrosis due to component malalignment, trauma, and infection. Patient factors such as chronic systemic diseases, medications, increased body weight, and sedentary lifestyle could also be responsible. The number of reported cases on bilateral spontaneous quadriceps tendon ruptures is limited and cases are often not associated with TKA, but are likely associated with chronic diseases and medication use. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to report on a patient who underwent bilateral TKA with sequential bilateral spontaneous quadriceps tendon ruptures postoperatively and to discuss their management.