Traumatic anterior dislocation of a prosthetic knee, from trauma to delayed onset of vascular injury

Anterior tibiofemoral dislocation after total knee arthroplasty: A case report and literature review

Anterior tibiofemoral dislocation after total knee arthroplasty is an extremely rare and serious event. Amongst English-published papers, we found only 15 relevant cases, 3 of which presented vascular complications. This manuscript aims to present a 77-year-old woman with a TC-Plus (Smith & Nephew) cruciate-retaining type in first time of knee prosthesis, who suffered an anterior tibiofemoral dislocation and were admitted to our hospital. The clinical management and outcome were evaluated. Furthermore, a review of literature was performed. We concluded that early detection and surgical intervention of vascular injury is the key in the survival of the limbs. If there is still knee instability after acute recovery, it seems that revision surgery with constrained total knee arthroplasty can bring about good clinical and functional results.

Anterior prosthetic knee dislocation with acute vascular injury: A case report

Introduction

and Importance: Anterior dislocation of a prosthetic knee is rarely encountered. Acute vascular injury following anterior prosthetic dislocation has only been reported once in the literature with extremely poor outcomes.

Case presentation

The authors report the case of a 70-year-old woman who presented with anterior prosthetic knee dislocation after a fall from slipping. After closed reduction, CT angiography found transection and active extravasation of the left popliteal artery. An emergent fasciotomy and popliteal bypass were performed with concurrent external fixation of the joint. Recovery was complicated by bacteremia requiring eventual explant of total knee arthroplasty (TKA).

Clinical discussion

We report the only case of successful vascular repair after acute vascular injury from traumatic anterior prosthetic dislocation. External fixation of the knee allowed for better stabilization of the joint and preservation of the repaired vascular injury; however, it carries a risk for infection, as seen in this case.

Conclusions

While there are no clear guidelines for management, we highlight the importance of rapid diagnosis with CT angiography and shared decision making with the vascular surgery team to repair the injury and stabilize the joint.

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70-year-old woman with acute popliteal injury following anterior prosthetic knee dislocation.

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First case of successful vascular repair following such injury.

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Rapid CT angiography, vascular repair, and stabilization of the joint essential in management.

Acute Anterior Dislocation in a Total Knee Arthroplasty Patient With a History of Sarcoma Resection

Dislocation after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a rare complication, and few cases of anterior dislocation have been reported. Furthermore, there are no reports of early postoperative dislocation. A 72-year-old woman who had previously undergone resection of the posterior thigh muscle group for liposarcoma of the thigh underwent TKA for knee osteoarthritis. However, anterior dislocation was observed at 1 week postoperatively. We considered that the cause of the early anterior dislocation was previous resection of the posterior soft tissues of the knee joint. This case is a rare report of early anterior postoperative dislocation after TKA.

Rare Case of Traumatic Anterior Knee Dislocation of Total Knee Arthroplasty With a Serious Neurovascular Injury

Traumatic anterior dislocation of a total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is an extremely rare occurrence. There are only a few known cases of this type of dislocation which discuss the high risk of a neurovascular complication. This article describes a traumatic anterior dislocation of the TKA with a severe vascular lesion in a 75-year-old severely comorbid patient. Further complications led to the development of a compartment syndrome. Despite the repeated effort in performing a well-functioning anastomosis of the popliteal artery tear by the vascular surgeon, reperfusion of the lower extremity was not effective. Furthermore, multiorgan system failure due to the reperfusion syndrome evolved. This led to an above-knee amputation as a lifesaving procedure. Despite thorough intensive care therapy, the patient did not survive this complication. Presently there are no reported cases with such severe complications after the luxation of a previously well-functioning TKA leading to the death of the patient.

Knee-Spanning External Fixation for Recurrent Traumatic Anterior Prosthetic Knee Dislocation With Associated Vascular Injury

Traumatic anterior prosthetic knee dislocation after total knee arthroplasty is a rare event. We report the case of an 88-year-old female who presented with right traumatic anterior knee dislocation and concurrent popliteal artery injury requiring an emergent bypass graft. Postoperatively, the patient had redislocated her prosthetic knee, requiring urgent re-reduction and stabilization with an external fixator. We review her case, as well as additional reported cases of anterior knee dislocation. We also review the clinical considerations surrounding arterial injury, vascular bypass, and external fixation as a proposed management in unstable cases refractory to bracing.