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Patellar fracture

Case contributed by Leonardo Lustosa
Diagnosis certain

Presentation

Direct fall onto the flexed left knee. Swollen knee upon physical examination with positive patellar tap test.

Patient Data

Age: 25 years
Gender: Male
x-ray

Radiographs revealed a comminuted patellar fracture. There is moderate knee joint effusion.

Knee joint effusion

Annotated image

Knee joint effusion annotated.

Case Discussion

Patellar fractures are usually caused by direct trauma, such as a fall from standing height onto the flexed knee or a dashboard impact from a motor vehicle collision.

In this case, there is also a noticeable knee joint effusion. It is always important to be aware of joint effusion in a trauma scenario as it might be a sign of a hidden injury.

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