Patellar fracture: The Daily PANCE Blueprint

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Patellar fracture: The Daily PANCE Blueprint

A 41-year-old female is rushed to the ER after sustaining a motor vehicle accident. A thorough physical exam is unremarkable except the patient has extreme tenderness to palpation over the right knee and is unable to fully extend her right knee. Radiographs are pending at this time. Which of the following is the most likely diagnosis?

A. Medial meniscal tear
B. Femur shaft fracture
C. Anterior cruciate ligament tear
D. Patellar fracture
E. Tibial plateau fracture

Answer and topic summary

The answer is D. Patellar fracture

A patellar fracture happens due to either direct injuries (e..g, fall, dashboard injury, high-energy trauma) to the knee OR indirect injuries (i.e., rapid contracture of the quadriceps with a flexed knee). It’s a relatively rare injury (1% of all skeletal injuries). On physical exam, the patient will be unable to perform a straight less raise and may have tenderness of palpation over the patella. Treatment depends on many factors but can be non-operative (knee immobilized in extension with early WBAT) vs operative (ORIF).

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Smarty PANCE Content Blueprint Review:

Covered under ⇒ PANCE Blueprint Musculoskeletal ⇒ Disorders of the Knee ⇒ Fractures and dislocations of the knee

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