Sleeve Fracture of the Superior Pole of Patella / 대한정형외과학회잡지

ABSTRACT

Sleeve fractures are an unusual type of patella fracture that usually occurs in children or skeletally immature adolescents. Most sleeve fractures occur at the inferior pole of the patella, whereas sleeve fractures of the superior pole are quite rare. Only a few cases have been reported thus far. Operative treatment is recommended for sleeve fractures of the patella due to the poor clinical outcome of conservative treatment. Stable fixation is difficult because of the thin sleeve fragment. Because of its rarity, the choice of operative method is based mainly on the surgeon’s preference. This paper reports a rare case of sleeve fracture of the patella superior pole and describes an operative technique using a modified transosseous vertical suture technique combined with a suture bridging technique to achieve stable fixation of the sleeve fragment.