Book An Appointment
Dr. Garcia demonstrates his technique for revision patella tendon repair using the patient’s own hamstring tendons.
Dr. Garcia specializes in complex knee, shoulder and elbow sports surgeries. He has prepared a number of surgical videos below to help patients better understand their procedures. He is frequently updating his surgical video database so check back soon for further updates.
This video, titled "Dr. Garcia demonstrates his technique for Revision Patella Tendon Reconstruction," outlines a surgical technique for a patient who re-ruptured their patellar tendon seven weeks after a fall.
Because some reasonable tendon tissue remained, the surgeon utilized a hamstring autograft approach. Here are the key steps demonstrated in the procedure:
The procedure shown includes:
- Graft Harvesting: The surgeon harvests both the gracilis and semitendinosus hamstring tendons, leaving them attached at their natural insertion point on the tibia.
- Initial Tendon Repair: Anchors are placed in an inverted triangle formation on the patella. A tension-slide technique is used to pull and repair the remaining original patellar tendon back down to the bone.
- Graft Passage: The longer semitendinosus tendon is passed up and through the quadriceps tendon above the patella to act as a supportive bridge. The gracilis tendon is then routed in a crisscross fashion across the front.
- Fixation: With the leg held in maximum extension, SwivelLock anchors are placed into the lateral and medial sides of the tibia to secure the autograft tissues, creating an internal brace on both sides.
- Testing: The reconstruction provides a sturdy tissue base, and the video concludes by demonstrating that the knee can safely flex to at least 60 degrees without any concern for a re-rupture.
