Acute knee ligaments injuries.

ABSTRACT

One hundred and ten cases of the acute ligamentous injury of the knee were treated at Siriraj Hospital between 1978 and 1981. The most common cause of the injury was through traffic accidents, then sports injuries. In forty five cases, the injuries were so severe that operative treatments were performed within two weeks of the initial injury, using the combined criteria of Reynolds, O’Conner and Larson. The most frequent operative findings were the combined injury of the anterior cruciate ligament, the medical collateral ligament and the medial meniscus. Primary repair was performed in every case. Some needed reconstructive procedures as well. Four cases developed postoperative infection; three superficial and one deep wound infection. After the wound desloughing and intravenous antibiotics administration, every case did clear up. Follow up of one to three year period showed satisfactory results in most cases, except in complicated cases which had fair results. We concluded that in managing the acute ligamentous injury of the knee, the single most important facet of the problem is the diagnosis. If there is any indication for surgery, it should be performed as early as possible.