[Conservative treatment of the knee with stable hemarthrosis]

Follow-up examination of 27 patients nine years after conservative treatment for traumatic haemarthromatous knees with stable ligaments revealed that the injuries which should have been anticipated very frequently, according to other authors, were only found in one patient, viz lesion of the anterior cruciate ligament. Two patients had undergone operative treatment for menicsal lesions which may have been related to the primary injury. The delayed treatment had not resulted in arthrosis or other permanent sequelae. Expectant treatment with arthroscopy appears to be justified in cases of traumatic haemarthroma of the knee in patients in whom the ligaments have been demonstrated to be stable at repeated clinical examinations.