PUBLISHED: Triceps Repair for Acute Triceps Tendon Rupture

Triceps Repair for Acute Triceps Tendon Rupture
Gregory Schneider, BS¹; Asif M. Ilyas, MD, MBA, FACS¹’²
¹Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University
²Rothman Institute at Thomas Jefferson University

The patient in this case suffered an acute triceps tendon rupture and opted for surgical repair to restore function. His physical exam findings of tenderness at the olecranon and weakness against resistance during elbow extension, combined with plain film imaging revealing a positive fleck sign representing an avulsion the triceps tendon off of the olecranon, gave the diagnosis of acute triceps tendon rupture.

The patient underwent surgical repair under general anesthesia in lateral decubitus position with a sterile tourniquet applied for hemostasis. The treatment goal was re-approximating the distal triceps tendon to the olecranon in order to restore elbow extension strength and upper extremity function. The surgical technique demonstrated in this video is the suture bridge technique.