Impact of Surgical Treatment of Patella Tendon Rupture Regarding Return to Sports in Yaounde

Abstract

Introduction: Patella tendon rupture (PTR) is a cause of handicap in athletic patients. Surgery remains the actual therapeutic modality with a variety of techniques that permits a return to sport. Our objective was to evaluate the return to sporting activities after surgical repair of a PTR. Method: We conducted a retrospective cohort study over five years from January 2016 to April 2021. We included athletes from 18 to 65 years of operating for a PTR. We evaluated: the knee functional score, the level of satisfaction, Lysholm score, VISA-P questionnaire, and return to sports. Results: A total of twenty-one cases of PTR were identified. The median age was 36 years (18 - 63). After surgery, the median follow-up was 17 months (12 - 55). All patients were able to walk at 3 months. A total of 17 patients (85%) returned to sports. The median return to sports was 6 months (5 - 11). Patients who return to a similar sport with a similar initial level of sporting activity were 45% (9 patients). The median time to return to sports for patients at a similar level of sport was 7.5 months (6 - 13). Functional scores were satisfactory; with a VISA-P score of 90/100 (25 - 100) and a Lysholm score of 98/100 (40 - 100). Conclusion: Surgical repair of PTR in athletes offers good results regarding return to sports in terms of proportion and timing whatsoever the technique. The use of protection band wires is reserved for patients with relative satisfaction during suture repair.