Posterolateral corner injuries of the knee: a serious injury commonly missed
Publication date
2011-02-01Keyword
AdolescentAdult
Anterior cruciate ligament
Arthroscopy
Diagnostic errors
Female
Humans
Joint instability
Knee injuries
Knee joint
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Middle aged
Referral and consultation
Retrospective studies
Time factors
Young adult
Open Access status
closedAccessAccepted for publication
2010-10-08
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
We retrospectively reviewed the hospital records of 68 patients who had been referred with an injury to the posterolateral corner of the knee to a specialist knee surgeon between 2005 and 2009. These injuries were diagnosed based on a combination of clinical testing and imaging and arthroscopy when available. In all, 51 patients (75%) presented within 24 hours of their injury with a mean presentation at eight days (0 to 20) after the injury. A total of 63 patients (93%) had instability of the knee at presentation. There was a mean delay to the diagnosis of injury to the posterolateral corner of 30 months (0 to 420) from the time of injury. In all, the injuries in 49 patients (72%) were not identified at the time of the initial presentation, with the injury to the posterolateral corner only recognised in those patients who had severe multiple ligamentous injuries. The correct diagnosis, including injury to the posterolateral corner, had only been made in 34 patients (50%) at time of referral to a specialist knee clinic. MRI correctly identified 14 of 15 injuries when performed acutely (within 12 weeks of injury), but this was the case in only four of 15 patients in whom it was performed more than 12 weeks after the injury. Our study highlights a need for greater diligence in the examination and investigation of acute ligamentous injuries at the knee with symptoms of instability, in order to avoid failure to identify the true extent of the injury at the time when anatomical repair is most straightforward.Version
No full-text in the repositoryCitation
Pacheco RJ, Ayre CA and Bollen SR (2011) Posterolateral corner injuries of the knee: a serious injury commonly missed. Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. 93(2): 194-197.Pacheco RJ, Ayre CA and Bollen SR (2011) Posterolateral corner injuries of the knee: a serious injury commonly missed. Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. 93(2): 194-197.
Link to Version of Record
https://doi.org/10.1302/0301-620X.93B2.25774Type
Articleae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
https://doi.org/10.1302/0301-620X.93B2.25774