Case Reports
Knee Dislocation in a 9-Year-Old Boy
Am J Orthop. 2008 June;37(6):E110-E112
Author and Disclosure Information
Bart Eastwood, DO, Henry W. Albers, MD, and Michael Albert, MD
Dr. Eastwood is Staff Orthopaedic Surgeon, Avera St. Anthony's Hospital, O'Neill, Nebraska. He was Resident at Affinity Medical Center/Ohio University when this article was written.
Dr. Albers and Dr. Albert are Orthopaedic Surgeons, Children's Medical Center of Dayton, Dayton, Ohio, and Attending Surgeons, Wright State University School of Medicine, Dayton, Ohio.
Abstract not available. Introduction provided instead.
A traumatic knee dislocation is an exceedingly rare occurrence in children, with at best scant citations in the orthopedic literature. Treatment is unique in this age group, because of the limited reconstructive options available for the open growth plates about the knee. Compared with the ligamentous structures, the physis is generally considered the weaker link within the knee of children, and therefore most injuries described have involved the growth plates about the knee.1 In the orthopedic literature, we found only 2 cases of knee dislocations in children younger than 10 years; in 1 of these cases, there was not much detail or follow-up.2-4 In addition, these 2 cases were managed before magnetic resonance imaging and arthroscopy were in common use. Here we describe our experience in treating and following up the case of a complete posterior lateral knee dislocation sustained by a 9-year-old boy in a football game.