Multiply Broken Metallic Hardware Removal for United Patella Fracture Applied Twenty Years Before: A Case Report

Abstract

Breakage of tension band wires, used to treat the patella fracture, is not uncommon several years after the fracture fixation. Broken wires may migrate to surrounding neurovascular structures, other vital organs like heart and may cause potentially fatal complications. Once the wires have been broken, it is very difficult to remove the broken pieces of metal wires. We report a 50 years old male patient with broken tension band wires at multiple sites for patella fracture. The broken wires were removed 20 years after the initial surgery without any undue complications, however patient sustained significant soft tissue damage to remove all the pieces of broken wires that would otherwise have been removed without any undue complications immediately after fracture union.

Keywords

• broken wires; cerclage wires; migration; patella fracture; tension band wiring.