Initial Treatment of Knee Dislocation at Yopougon Teaching Hospital/Abidjan, Ivory Coast

Abstract

Knee dislocation is a serious and rare injury. Its rarity and the variety of injuries that result from it mean that there is no adequate management that is universally accepted. The aim of this study was to evaluate our emergency care strategy for these injuries. Materials and methodology: This was a retrospective study conducted from January 1992 to December 2004 on nine cases of knee dislocation. It consisted of six men and three women. The average age of these subjects was 35, ranging from 15 to 50 years. The causes for these injuries included: public road accidents (n = 4), household accidents (n = 3), a sporting accident and a dislocation that occurred following a fight. The dislocations were anteromedial (n = 4), posterolateral (n = 2), posterior (n = 2) and anterior (n = 1). Associated injuries were sore joint (n = 2), contusion of the common peroneal nerve (n = 1) and vascular injury (n = 1). An angiography was performed on one patient for a vascular injury and an Elecmyography (EMG) for a common peroneal nerve injury. Closed reduction was used for eight patients and open reduction for one patient. Results: Five knees were stable with normal range of motion and some residual pain. Four patients had knee instability; two anterior, one anteroposterior and one lateral. In three of these patients, the CT arthrography/arthro-scan confirmed central pivot damage, with meniscal damage in two of them. The four patients were referred to a knee surgeon in a private practice. The post-operational effects were minimal in vascular injury. The EMG performed for the common peroneal nerve detected a nerve contusion. Conclusion: Our emergency care strategy remains closed reduction. This therapeutic management is consistent, at least in the first 15 days, with the literature.