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Chronic knee dislocations are rare but represent a therapeutic challenge. A staged concept is necessary to correctly address the pathological components. This article uses a case study to provide an algorithm for the successful treatment of chronic knee dislocations.
PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of heterotopic ossification following knee dislocation. TYPE OF STUDY: Prospective clinical evaluation and a retrospective chart review. METHODS: This study evaluated 57 knees in 55 patients who sustained high-energy blunt trauma with resultant knee dislocations. Radiographs were reviewed by 2 of the authors (J.P.S., T.C.W.), and the incidence of heterotopic ossification (HO) was documented. Additionally, patients were classified regarding the degree of HO on a scale from 0 to 4. One is punctate calcification, 2 is HO involving less than 50% of the joint space; 3 is HO involving more than 50%; and 4 is ankylosis of the joint. RESULTS: Thirteen patients with 15 knee dislocations developed HO. The incidence of HO was 26%. Seven knees demonstrated severe HO (grade 3 or 4) which represented an incidence of 12% of all knee dislocations. Injury severity score for both groups was 18, documenting that the patients in this study represent multiple trauma patients. There was no significant difference in the incidence of HO based on mechanism of injury with the current number enrolled in the study. However, 60% (3 of 5) of patients involved in a motor vehicle versus pedestrian accident developed HO. There was a significant increase in the incidence of arthrofibrosis in patients with severe HO (P <.05). Patients with significant HO had a mean flexion of 97 degrees, compared with flexion of 117 degrees in patients with no or mild HO. This difference was borderline significant (P =.058). There was no difference between the groups in mean extension. There was a significant increase in knee HO in patients with HO at another anatomic site (P =.01). CONCLUSIONS: HO is a common problem following knee dislocation. Of the 7 knees with severe HO, 5 developed HO medially, 4 developed HO posteriorly, 3 developed HO laterally, and only 1 had involvement anteriorly. A similar distribution was present in the patients with mild HO, with posterior and medial ossification being the most common. Five of the 7 severe HO cases involved at least 3 of the 4 sides (anterior, posterior, medial, or lateral) of the knee. Patients were evaluated for the presence of head injury and any relationship to the development of HO around the knee. There was no increased incidence of HO around the knee in our 10 patients with severe head injuries when compared with those with no head injury. There was also no increased incidence of HO in knee dislocations associated with periarticular fractures.
A small amount of knee dislocations is included in the irreducible knee dislocations group. In such instance, medial femoral condyle is buttonholed through the gap formed by medial retinacular and capsular structures and this prevents reduction. In this study, we present two cases in which there were irreducible posterolateral knee dislocations resulting from a low-energy trauma. In both cases, dimple sign produced by the invagination of the medial retinacular structures and capsule and ecchymosis medially were noted. Soft tissue invaginated between the trochlea and intercondylar notch was extracted by open reduction.
Knee dislocation is an uncommon lesion. It is, however, frequently associated with injury to surrounding structures. The possible coexistence of trauma of the popliteal artery is a serious threat to the limb's integrity. Its incidence is high (about one third of cases) and, unless speedily discovered and treated, it leads to limb loss. Three cases of knee dislocation with combined injury to the popliteal artery successfully underwent surgery. On the basis of such experience, the authors survey the questions of vascular reconstructive surgery that still remain open: in particular, the delay in diagnosis, when and if to use angiography, the type of vascular reconstruction, the maximum delay in revascularization.
Dislocations of the knee represent a rare but serious injury with an impaired prognosis. The optimal treatment still remains an object of discussion. Within seven years eleven patients have been treated in our hospital after this injury. The review of their reports showed a high incidence of neurovascular damage, loss of motion as well as stiffness. The outcome of the patients with operative treatment was superior to that of the patients with a nonoperative approach. Based on our own results and on the experiences of other authors we present our recommendations in the management of knee dislocations.
Knee dislocations are rare injuries in any age group, but even more unusual in skeletally immature individuals. Such injuries often occur from high-energy mechanisms and are commonly associated with disruption of both anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments. Although there are several previous reports of knee dislocation without disruption of the posterior cruciate ligament, there is only one report citing 3 cases of knee dislocation with the anterior cruciate ligament remaining intact, each occurring in skeletally mature individuals. We present a high-energy knee dislocation in a skeletally immature girl without anterior cruciate ligament disruption. We also discuss the evaluation, management, and outcome. Treatment of this condition with arthroscopically assisted posterior cruciate ligament reconstruction using tibialis anterior allograft 2 weeks after the acute injury resulted in complete functional recovery.
Peroneal nerve palsy after knee dislocation is a serious problem, and neurolysis at the time of knee reconstruction does not always result in return of peroneal nerve function. In light of the current state of microneural surgery, and the potential to reconstruct lengthy nerve defects, this review addresses the appropriate evaluation of peroneal nerve palsy and provides recommendations regarding surgical treatment.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of an irreducible knee dislocation can help physicians evaluate associated bone and ligamentous lesions. However, caution should be taken when interpreting the images because the capsuloligamentous interposition seen in irreducible knee dislocations may be misdiagnosed as a meniscal lesion.
Since the Vietnam War experience we have known that there is a high association between knee dislocations and popliteal artery injuries. In an effort to improve the quality of care we asked whether every patient with a knee dislocation needs an arteriogram. This is a retrospective chart review of all injured patients who presented to Louisiana State University Health Science Center with knee dislocations between January 1, 1993 and March 31, 1998. Twenty-one patients met the study criteria. There were no deaths in this series. Twelve patients presented with normal palpable pulses. Nine of these 12 patients underwent an arteriogram. There was only one abnormal arteriogram (intimal defect) in this group. None of the patients who presented with normal pulses were operated on. There were no in-hospital complications from this nonoperative management. In the group of patients with either diminished pulses or no pulses arteriograms were performed on all patients. Fifty-five per cent of these arteriograms were abnormal, and one-third of these patients (two) were taken to the operating room for repair. In the group of patients who present with knee dislocations and normal peripheral vascular examination arteriograms are not helpful.
Knee dislocations of morbidly obese patients after a trivial fall are not uncommon. We report a case of closed reduction for a dislocated right knee of a 26-year-old obese woman. After closed reduction under general anaesthesia, her knee was supported by pillows in 30 degrees flexion. No external splint was used because of the enormous size of the leg. At day 4 after reduction, the patient had numbness over the dorsum of the right foot and was unable to dorsiflex. She was diagnosed as having peroneal nerve palsy and was fitted with a foot drop splint. One week after reduction, she started active, assisted knee mobilisation and tip-toe weight bearing. At 24 months after reduction, the patient was able to walk unaided and had 100 degrees of knee flexion. She had a good foot function and a grade II in the Lachman's test, with no varus or valgus instability. This case highlights the importance of early mobilisation, which can result in good outcome even without operative treatment.
BACKGROUND: Historically, arteriography has been used routinely in patients with knee dislocations. Recently, selectivity based on physical examination (PE) has emerged. Critics cite limited clinical evidence. We sought to determine whether PE accurately confirms or excludes surgically significant vascular injuries associated with knee dislocations. METHODS: We conducted an institutional review board-approved retrospective review of patients admitted at a university-based Level I trauma center with knee dislocations from January 1, 1993, to December 31, 2002. Thirty-nine patients (28 male patients and 11 female patients; average age, 42.8 years) had 39 dislocations (27 left and 12 right, 26 posterior and 13 anterior). Most patients (n = 25) were involved in motor vehicle crashes. All patients underwent arteriography. RESULTS: Of the 20 normal arteriograms, all had normal PE. Of the 19 abnormal arteriograms, 8 had a normal PE and 11 were abnormal. Within this subgroup, none of the 8 with normal PE required surgery, whereas 7 of the 11 with abnormal PE required surgery. None of the nonoperative patients had vascular complications during the hospital stay. Sensitivity and specificity were 100% for PE on surgically significant vascular injury. CONCLUSION: Routine arteriography is unnecessary in patients with a normal PE after reduction of the knee dislocation.
Knee dislocations usually can be treated by closed reduction, although a small number must be reduced surgically. A seventy-three-year-old patient sustained a knee dislocation while skiing, with entrapment of the medial capsule and the medial retinaculum in the femoral notch. There was no evidence of any vascular or nerve injury. Open reduction with transverse dissection of the medial retinaculum led to reduction. We achieved an excellent result by external fixation and early aggressive rehabilitation without repair of the avulsed cruciate ligaments.
We present the case of a 27-month chronic knee dislocation treated with a semiconstrained, stemmed total knee arthroplasty. The patient was neurovascularly intact preoperatively but had severe functional limitations caused by pain, stiffness, and instability. At 2-year follow-up, the patient remains pain-free with functional range of motion and the ability to ambulate without complication. This case report represents the longest-cited chronic knee dislocation treated with a reconstructive procedure.
Posterolateral dislocations involve significant injury to the medial structures of the knee, therefore particular attention should be paid to repairing the medial patella stabilizers at the time of open reduction.
Seven patients (average age, 26.3 years) with traumatic knee dislocations were retrospectively evaluated more than 2 years (average, 51 months) after having fresh-frozen allograft anterior and posterior cruciate ligament reconstructions. All patients were treated consecutively at an average of 9.6 days after injury. Two patients had arterial injuries and three patients had or developed common peroneal nerve palsy. Five patients had 20 additional injuries. All patients were enlisted in an early, aggressive physical therapy regimen with early protected weightbearing. Four patients required a manipulation under anesthesia for arthrofibrosis at an average of 16.8 weeks postoperatively (range, 6 to 33 weeks). At followup, only one patient had significant pain, three patients had rare or occasional giving way, and all seven were able to return to school or to the workplace. The functional grading was excellent in three patients, good in three patients, and fair in one patient. No patient had a significant flexion contracture; the average flexion arc was 118 degrees (range, 105 degrees to 135 degrees). Knee dislocation is a very traumatic injury, often resulting in a painful, dysfunctional knee. Anterior and posterior cruciate ligament reconstructions in young, active patients can minimize pain and optimize functional outcome. Arthrofibrosis is a common occurrence in these patients, and manipulation under anesthesia is frequently required.
BACKGROUND: Popliteal artery injury is frequently associated with knee dislocation following blunt trauma, an injury that is being seen with increasing frequency. The primary purpose of the present study was to evaluate the use of physical examination to determine the need for arteriography in a large series of patients with knee dislocation. The secondary purpose was to evaluate the correlation between physical examination findings and clinically important vascular injury in the subgroup of patients who underwent arteriography. METHODS: One hundred and thirty consecutive patients (138 knees) who had sustained an acute multiligamentous knee injury were evaluated at our level-1 trauma center between August 1996 and May 2002 and were included in a prospective outcome study. Four patients (four knees) were lost to follow-up, leaving 126 patients (134 knees) available for inclusion in the study. The results of the physical examination of the vascular status of the extremities were used to determine the need for arteriography. The mean duration of follow-up was nineteen months (range, eight to forty-eight months). Physical examination findings, magnetic resonance imaging findings, and surgical findings were combined to determine the extent of ligamentous damage. RESULTS: Nine patients had flow-limiting popliteal artery damage, for an overall prevalence of 7%. Ten patients had abnormal findings on physical examination, with one patient having a false-positive result and nine having a true-positive result. The knee dislocations in the nine patients with popliteal artery damage were classified, according to the Wascher modification of the Schenck system, as KD-III (one knee), KD-IV (seven knees), and KD-V (one knee). CONCLUSIONS: Selective arteriography based on serial physical examinations is a safe and prudent policy following knee dislocation. There is a strong correlation between the results of physical examination and the need for arteriography. Increased vigilance may be justified in the case of a patient with a KD-IV dislocation, for whom serial examinations should continue for at least forty-eight hours.
This retrospective study compared three surgical procedures for acute knee dislocation. Eleven patients (group 1) underwent direct repair of the cruciate ligaments, 6 patients (group 2) underwent anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction with hamstring tendons and posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) reattachment, and 6 patients (group 3) underwent PCL reconstruction with ipsilateral bone-patellar tendon-bone and ACL reconstruction with doubled semitendinosus and gracilis tendons. Average follow-up was 6.9 years (range: 24 months to 19 years). Surgical results were evaluated using the IKDC evaluation form, KT-2000 arthrometer, and Lysholm and Tegner scores. Statistical analysis was performed using Fisher's exact test and the Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel test to compare different surgical procedures. In terms of stability and range of motion, results were less favorable after direct repair and cruciate ligament reattachment. Better results were reported after combined ACL and PCL reconstruction. Average side-to-side total anteroposterior translation as measured by the KT-2000 arthrometer at 20 degrees +/- 5 degrees of knee flexion was 6.67 mm, 3.6 mm, and 3.2 mm in groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively. At final International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) evaluation, only 2 group 3 patients achieved a group qualification A, while a group qualification B was achieved by 5 patients (2 patients in group 1, 2 patients in group 2, and 1 patient in group 3). Nine patients in group 1, 4 patients in group 2, and 3 patients in group 3 achieved group qualifications C and D (fair or poor results). Based on these results, we do not recommend reattachment of the cruciate ligaments after knee dislocation for obtaining a stable knee with full range of motion.
Popliteal artery injury is a hazardous and often subtle complication of traumatic knee dislocation. Review of the literature in which series of knee dislocations were reported has revealed a 28% incidence of thrombosis or rupture of this critical vessel. Fifty-seven percent of these patients required leg amputation. The most frequent cause of limb loss has been absence or delay of direct surgical repair of the associated popliteal artery injury. This report describes a management plan that is intended to minimize the likleihood of future disabling leg amputations following knee dislocation.