Late reconstruction of the patellar tendon.

Late reconstruction of undiagnosed ruptures of the patellar tendon by transfer of the gracilis and semitendinosus tendons, supplemented by a heavy-gauge encircling wire to bridge the gap, was successful in four patients. These tendons are stronger than fascial strips which have previously been used for the purpose. The four patients treated by this technique returned to their preinjury functional levels.