Presentation
After a powerful soccer kick, the patient experienced pain, swelling, and limited movement in the left thigh.
Patient Data
Injury to the origin of the left rectus femoris at the musculotendinous junction and conjoined tendon, with abnormal signal within the substance, discontinuity, tendon retraction, and surrounding fluid collection. Muscle edema, mainly at the musculotendinous junction, with a feathery appearance, increased signal on T2W and PDFS.
Case Discussion
The imaging findings are consistent with a complete or high-grade proximal rectus femoris tendon tear with tendon retraction, surrounding the fluid collection, edema, and muscle strain, primarily at the musculotendinous junction.
A grading scheme that is commonly used for MRI includes 1:
grade 1: high signal intensity, either localized or diffuse, or feathery muscle edema without disruption of fibers
grade 2: partial tear of the muscle-tendon junction with disruption of some fibers
grade 3: complete tear of the muscle-tendon junction, with or without tendon retraction