| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4077353 | The Knee | 2015 | 7 Pages |
•Anatomical reconstruction of the posterolateral aspect of the knee with hamstrings•Biomechanical study on posterolateral knee reconstruction with hamstrings•Anatomical reconstruction of the posterolateral aspect of the knee varus stability•Posterolateral anatomical reconstruction aspect of the knee does not stabilize external rotation.•Autograft reconstruction of the posterolateral aspect of the knee biomechanics
Background and aimLesions to the posterolateral corner (PLC) of the knee are rarely isolated injuries, and they are potentially devastating, leading to progressive chondral injury, with important functional impairment. The objectives of this biomechanical study were to evaluate angular deformation with two loads and considering four flexion angles of the knee, varus and external rotation and in three situations of integrity, reconstruction and injury of posterolateral knee structures.MethodsThe posterolateral structures of 10 cadaveric knees were submitted to three biomechanical assays: in the “intact condition”, “injured”, and “reconstructed”. The technique used for the reconstruction was the one proposed by LaPrade et al., but with autografts of hamstring tendons instead. A device was designed to apply loads of 2 and 5 N m, with zero, 30°, 60° and 90° of knee flexion, in varus or in external rotation, measuring angular deformation with photogoniometry.ResultsThe anatomical reconstruction of the PLC proposed here did restore varus stability in all flexion angles (p < 0.005), but not rotational stability. External rotation deformation at 90° was similar in all test conditions. In knee extension, external rotation was stabilized only at 2 Nm. At 60°, external rotation was partially stabilized (p < 0.05).ConclusionsThe anatomical PLC reconstruction using hamstring tendons restored varus but not external rotational stability.Clinical RelevanceThe reconstruction of posterolateral corner injuries with autologous allografts is very important for regions were tissue banks are not available. This technique may be a first step to achieve this goal.
