Traumatic rupture of the tibialis anterior tendon: A case report

OBJECTIVE: The autors report a case of a traumatic rupture of the tibialis anterior tendon (TTA) that was early diagnosed and treated in the emergency service. This is a rare clinical entity with few cases reported in the literature. CASE REPORT: A 66-year old female presented at the emergency service complaining about pain at the anterior aspect of her ankle and inability to walk normally, after a fall. Physical examination revealed clinical signs for TTA rupture, which was later confirmed by ultrasound. Surgical treatment was performed immediately â€" the tendon was anchored into the medial cuneiform with a soft tissue-to-bone anchor. The follow-up revealed good functional result. CONCLUSION: Physical examination and a high index of suspicion are important when facing a patient who had sustained an ankle trauma. The TTA rupture is a diagnosis to consider because unrecognized ruptures led to important functional deficits and poor functional results.

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Rodrigues,Maria Elisa, Pereira,Alexandre, Alpoim,Bruno, Geada,José Muras
Format: Digital revista
Language:English
Published: Sociedade Brasileira de Ortopedia e Traumatologia 2013
Online Access:http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0102-36162013000300278
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:OBJECTIVE: The autors report a case of a traumatic rupture of the tibialis anterior tendon (TTA) that was early diagnosed and treated in the emergency service. This is a rare clinical entity with few cases reported in the literature. CASE REPORT: A 66-year old female presented at the emergency service complaining about pain at the anterior aspect of her ankle and inability to walk normally, after a fall. Physical examination revealed clinical signs for TTA rupture, which was later confirmed by ultrasound. Surgical treatment was performed immediately â€" the tendon was anchored into the medial cuneiform with a soft tissue-to-bone anchor. The follow-up revealed good functional result. CONCLUSION: Physical examination and a high index of suspicion are important when facing a patient who had sustained an ankle trauma. The TTA rupture is a diagnosis to consider because unrecognized ruptures led to important functional deficits and poor functional results.