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Case reports excellent functional outcomes following surgical reconstruction of a quadriceps gap in a child, suggesting a new approach for chronic injuries.
Case: A 14-year-old boy presented with a neglected patellar sleeve fracture, resulting in a 19 cm gap between the retracted quadriceps and patella. A stepwise surgical reconstruction combining the “Chambat Sardine Can” tensioning technique, tibial tubercle transfer, rectus femoris release, and allograft bridging was performed. Conclusion: This is the first reported case of such a massive quadriceps retraction. The adaptable surgical strategy, tailored to defect severity, led to excellent functional outcomes and may be applied in both pediatric and adult chronic extensor mechanism ruptures.
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Chotel et al. (2026) studied this question.
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