Traumatic Anterior Knee Dislocation with Popliteal Artery Injury: The Importance of a Prompt Diagnosis and Treatment to Obtain Lower Limb Salvage

We report a case of traumatic anterior dislocation of the left knee in association with disruption of the soft tissues including knee ligaments, popliteal artery, and common peroneal nerve, resulting in lower limb acute ischemia. All components of this complex trauma were recognized and treated promptly. First, he was submitted to closed reduction of the dislocated knee under general anesthesia; right after he underwent superficial femoro-tibioperoneal trunk bypass using a reversed saphenous contralateral vein recurring to a posterior approach through a popliteal S-shaped incision; rehabilitation program was initiated early; a second and final reconstructive orthopedic operation was carried out in a different center. The present case is important in 2 aspects. First, it reports a very rare occurrence of simultaneous anterior dislocation of the knee associated with vascular insult and common peroneal nerve injury, which was rarely reported in the current literature; second, it highlights that with timely intervention and a team approach, excellent results could be achieved.