Tripartite Patella: A Rare Case Report

Symptomatic multipartite patella should be distinguished from traumatic patella fracture. In old patients, a high index of suspicion is required to differentiate between a traumatic disruption of the multipartite patella with quadriceps avulsion and an avulsion fracture of the patella. Suppose there is a high index of suspicion. In that case, magnetic resonance imaging should be preferred to explain the signs and symptoms by noting bone marrow edema, partial or complete rupture of quadriceps, and quadriceps fat pad edema. We suggest that surgical decisions to either fix the fragment or excise be taken intraoperatively based on size, site, amount of articular surface, and associated tendon avulsion.