Injury Patterns in Posterolateral Corner Knee Injury

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic surgery
• Sports medicine
• Knee biomechanics

Background:

• Posterolateral corner (PLC) knee injuries are complex and their association with various injury mechanisms remains unclear.
• Understanding these patterns is crucial for accurate diagnosis and effective treatment planning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate and identify distinct injury patterns associated with posterolateral corner (PLC) knee injuries.
• To determine if specific injury patterns correlate with the mechanism of injury.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of patients with multiligament knee injuries and acute grade 3 PLC injuries.
• Classification of PLC injury components (fibular collateral ligament, popliteus tendon, etc.) and concomitant injuries (biceps femoris tendon, meniscal tears, nerve palsy, bone bruises) using intraoperative and MRI findings.

Main Results:

• Thirty-nine patients with PLC injuries were analyzed.
• A common pattern in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)-PLC and ACL-posterior cruciate ligament (PCL)-PLC injuries included anteromedial (AM) femur/tibia bone bruises, fibular collateral ligament (FCL) tears, popliteus tendon avulsion, biceps femoris tears, and common peroneal nerve palsy.
• Absence of AM bone bruises was linked to femoral-sided FCL injuries and no concurrent injury to the popliteus tendon, biceps femoris, or peroneal nerve.

Conclusions:

• Anteromedial (AM) bone bruises are significantly associated with peroneal nerve injuries in PLC knee injuries.
• The absence of AM bone bruises indicates a lower likelihood of peroneal nerve involvement.