Irreducible posterolateral dislocation of the knee: a case report

Effect of Timing of Surgery on the Outcomes and Complications in Multi-ligament Knee Injuries: An Overview of Systematic Reviews and A Meta-analysis

Background and Aims

Multi-ligament knee injuries (MLKI) are serious and challenging to manage. This study aimed to elucidate the impact of surgical timing on both early and long-term outcomes following an MLKI.

Methods

A comprehensive search strategy was employed across PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library. Studies were identified using a combination of relevant keywords encompassing "multi-ligament knee injury," "knee dislocation," "reconstruction," "repair," "surgery," and "timing," and their synonyms, along with appropriate Boolean operators. Selection of articles (systematic reviews and meta-analyses) adhered to predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Furthermore, a meta-analysis was conducted utilizing data extracted from primary studies.

Results

Early surgery for MLKI demonstrated a significant advantage over delayed surgery, reflected by significantly higher Lysholm scores (Mean Difference [MD] 3.51; 95% Confidence Interval [CI] 1.79, 5.22), IKDC objective scores (Mantel-Haenszel Odds Ratio [MH-OR] 2.95; 95% CI 1.30, 6.69), Tegner activity scores (MD 0.38; 95% CI 0.08, 0.69), and Mayer's ratings (MH-OR 5.47; 95% CI 1.27, 23.56). In addition, we found a significantly reduced risk of secondary chondral lesions (MH-OR 0.33; 95% CI 0.23, 0.48), lower instrumented anterior tibial translation in the early surgery group (MD -0.92; 95% CI -1.83, -0.01), but no significant difference was observed in the secondary meniscal tears, between the two groups. However, the early surgery group also exhibited a significantly increased risk of knee stiffness (MH-OR 2.47; 95% CI 1.22, 5.01) and a greater likelihood of requiring manipulation under anaesthesia (MH-OR 3.91; 95% CI 1.10, 13.87).

Conclusion

Early surgery for MLKI improves function, and stability, and reduces further articular cartilage damage, but increases the risk of stiffness.

Level of Evidence

IV.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s43465-024-01224-1.

Successful Management of Impending Skin Necrosis After a Posterolateral Knee Dislocation

Incarcerated medial soft tissue after posterolateral knee dislocations has been described, but limited information pertaining to the etiology and management of cutaneous injuries from incarceration exists. We present the case of a 64-year-old man, where reduction of a posterolateral knee dislocation resulted in incarceration of medial ligamentous structures and impending skin necrosis. The patient avoided full-thickness skin necrosis, which could have complicated treatment options. Careful consideration of the soft-tissue envelope of the knee for preventing additional skin injury in the perioperative period should be considered to potentially avert additional necrosis in patients with a 'pucker' sign after knee dislocations.

Irreducible Posterolateral Knee Dislocation: A Case Report

CASE

A 62-year-old male patient suffered an irreducible posterolateral knee dislocation after a horse fell on him. The left knee was slightly flexed with a medial dimple sign present. The medial retinaculum, medial patellofemoral ligament, posteromedial corner structures, and vastus medialis obliquus (VMO) muscle were incarcerated in the medial joint. An open reduction and the medial retinaculum and VMO gap were repaired, and the knee was stabilized in an external fixator for 4 weeks. At 32-month follow-up, the patient had almost full knee motion and good subjective outcomes with moderate residual joint laxity.

CONCLUSION

Early clinical diagnosis of irreducible knee dislocations and emergent open reduction should be performed to reduce the risk of soft-tissue compromise.

A systematic review on management and outcome of irreducible knee dislocations

BACKGROUND

Irreducible knee dislocations (IKD) are rare and can often be missed or misdiagnosed. The incidence of knee dislocation is quoted between 0.01% and 0.2% of all orthopaedic injuries, with up to 4% of these dislocations sub-classified as irreducible. The primary aim of this systematic review was to analyse cases of IKD described in the literature, with a secondary aim of producing a streamlined approach for managing these patients.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A systematic review of the literature was conducted on 1st September 2021 in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines using the online databases Medline and EMBASE. The review was registered prospectively in the PROSPERO database. Case reports or clinical studies or reporting on IKD were included. The studies were appraised using the Methodological Index for Non-Randomized Studies (MINORS) tool and Newcastle-Ottawa quality assessment scale.

RESULTS

The search strategy identified 60 studies eligible for inclusion, giving a total of 114 cases of IKD. Posterolateral dislocation was most common, seen in 85% of cases. The dimple sign was present in 70%. All cases required surgical intervention to achieve joint reduction. The most commonly involved structure blocking reduction was the medial collateral ligament (MCL)±medial structures, seen in 52.4%. MCL reconstruction or repair was carried out in 32.3% cases. The overall incidence of neurovascular injury was 9% and the overall complication rate was 14.4%.

CONCLUSION

Based on the findings of this SR we conclude that: the most common type of IKDs are PL dislocations, and the MCL, medial retinaculum and capsule and vastus medialis oblique form the most common structures involved in block to reduction and often will require open reduction and repair in acute setting if arthroscopic reduction fails. The most common pattern of injury to ligament is likely to be ACL, PCL, MCL±other structures but the MCL will be the most commonly repaired ligament. The dimple sign is often present and is highly pathognomonic of IKD. The incidence of neurovascular injury is uncommon. The most common post-operative complications likely to be encountered is medial skin necrosis and postoperative knee stiffness. Therefore, patients should be mobilised as early as possible with ROM in hinge brace.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

IV.

The Efficacy and Outcome of a Two-Staged Operation for Irreducible Knee Dislocation: A Prospective Short-Term Follow-Up

Background: Irreducible knee dislocation (IKD) is a very rare but serious type of knee dislocation; it can lead to soft tissue necrosis due to incarceration of the medial structures and faces great difficulty in the postoperative rehabilitation, too. IKD needs careful pre-operative planning. There is no universal agreement about the appropriate surgical strategy for IKD. The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical efficacy, safety, and outcome of the two-staged operation in treatment of IKD. Methods: IKD patients were included from June 1, 2016 to May 31, 2020. In the stage-1 surgery, acute reduction and extra-articular structure repair were performed. Following an intermediate rehabilitation, delayed cruciate ligament reconstructions were performed in stage-2. Physical examination, CT, MRI, and X-ray were performed during the pre-operative period. Knee function, joint stability, ligament laxity, knee range of motion (ROM), and alignment were accessed at follow-ups. The minimum and maximum follow-up times were 0.5 years and 1 year, respectively. Results: In total, 17 IKD patients were included. There were three subjects (17.65%) missing at the 1 year follow-up and the average follow-up was 11.18 ± 2.53 months. After stage-1, normal alignment and superior valgus/varus stability were restored in most subjects; however, a notable anterior-posterior instability still existed in most patients. The intermediate rehabilitation processed smoothly (6.94 ± 1.20 weeks), and all patients achieved knee ROM of 0-120° finally. At 0.5 years and 1 year follow-up after stage-2, all subjects had achieved normal knee stability, ROM, and satisfying joint function. No infection or DVT was observed. Conclusions: The two-staged operation for IKD has superior efficacy on knee stability and function, and it can facilitate the rehabilitation and achieve satisfactory short-term outcome.

Irreducible Knee Dislocation Associated With a Tertiary Gastrocnemius Head: A Case Report

CASE

A 43-year-old man suffered an irreducible posterolateral knee dislocation while snowboarding with associated tears of the anterior cruciate, posterior cruciate, medial collateral, and posterolateral corner ligaments. Two closed reduction attempts failed, and magnetic resonance imaging revealed incarcerated soft tissue from a tertiary gastrocnemius muscle head. The patient underwent open reduction and repair/reconstruction of his multiligamentous knee injury. At the 6-year follow-up, the patient did not have pain or instability and returned to recreational activities.

CONCLUSIONS

This case demonstrates that a tertiary gastrocnemius muscle head, the most common anatomical variation, may complicate the closed reduction of an irreducible posterolateral knee dislocation.

Irreducible Posterolateral Fracture Dislocation of the Knee in an Elderly Patient Treated with Rotating Hinge Total Knee Replacement

Knee dislocation is one of the few real orthopaedic emergencies. It is a serious but relative uncommon injury, representing less than 0.02% of all orthopaedic injuries. Especially posterolateral knee dislocation is much rarer condition that is often missed or misdiagnosed. The main feature of this very rare condition is to be irreducible by closed reduction due to the interposition of soft tissues inside the enlarged medial joint space, such as the medial capsule and retinaculum, vastusmedialis, and medial meniscus. The pathognomonic sign of a posterolateral knee dislocation is the anteromedial distal thigh transverse "pucker" or "dimple sign." We report the case of an 87-year-old man who sustained an irreducible posterolateral fracture dislocation of the knee after being hit by car which has been treated with rotating hinge knee replacement with 1-year of follow-up.

Major concern in the multiligament-injured knee treatment: A systematic review

PURPOSE

The purpose of this systematic review was to address the treatment of multiligament knee injuries in three major aspects, specifically (1) surgical versus nonoperative treatment, (2) repair versus reconstruction of injured ligamentous structures, and (3) early versus late surgery of damaged ligaments.

METHODS

Two independent reviewers performed a search on PubMed from 1966 to March 2016 using Levy's review as a starting-point, and the same terms "knee dislocation," "multiple ligament-injured knee," and "multiligament knee reconstruction." Study inclusion criteria were (1) levels I to IV evidence, (2) "multiligament" defined as disruption of at least 2 of the 4 major knee ligaments, (3) measures of functional and clinical outcomes, and (4) minimum of 12 months' follow-up, with a mean of at least 24 months.

RESULTS

Two high-level studies compared surgical treatment with nonoperative treatment. There was a higher Lyshom scores (85 v 67) in surgically treated patients, as well as higher excellent/good IKDC scores (69% v 64%) and return to sport (41% v 18%). There were four studies comparing repair with reconstruction of damaged structures, with similar mean Lysholm scores (84 v 84) and excellent/good IKDC scores (63% v 63%). Nevertheless, repair of the posterolateral corner had a higher failure rate (39% v 8%) and a lower return to sport activities (25% v 51%). Similarly, repair of the cruciates achieved decreased stability and range of motion. There were six studies comparing early surgery (within 3 weeks) with delayed surgery. Early treatment resulted in higher mean Lysholm scores (89 v 82) and a higher percentage of excellent/good IKDC scores (57% v 41%), as well as higher mean ROM (129° v 124°).

CONCLUSIONS

Our review suggests that the best treatment does not exist, but better functional and clinical outcomes have been achieved with reconstruction rather than repair. Surgery must be performed within the first three weeks. Delayed ACL reconstruction allows to reduce arthrofibrosis rate.