Anterolateral Ligament Injury in Knee Dislocations

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Sports Medicine
• Radiology

Background:

• Knee dislocation (KD) is a severe injury requiring prompt diagnosis and management.
• The anterolateral ligament (ALL) is increasingly recognized as a crucial stabilizer of the knee.
• Understanding the prevalence and patterns of ALL injury in KD is essential for effective treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the prevalence of anterolateral ligament (ALL) injury in patients with knee dislocation (KD).
• To identify factors associated with ALL injury in the context of knee dislocation.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of 49 knees in 48 patients who underwent multiligamentous knee reconstruction for KD.
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was utilized to assess and describe ALL injuries.
• Statistical analysis examined the association of ALL injury with patient background and injury characteristics.

Main Results:

• A high prevalence of ALL injury was observed in 91.8% of dislocated knees, with 81.6% involving complete proximal fiber injury.
• None of the knees with lateral collateral ligament injury had intact proximal ALL fibers (P = .012).
• Abnormality of the proximal ALL fibers was present in all patients with associated tibial plateau fractures (P = .033).

Conclusions:

• Anterolateral ligament (ALL) injury is highly prevalent in knee dislocations (KD), frequently presenting as high-grade injuries.
• Proximal and suprameniscal fibers of the ALL are commonly involved in these injuries.
• The findings underscore the importance of evaluating the ALL in all cases of knee dislocation.