Posterior cruciate ligament injuries: what do we really know?

Excerpt

Severe anterior knee pain, an increasing feeling of instability, and a striking hyperextension-varus thrust [16] (i.e., triple varus) clearly demonstrated the devastating effects of recurrent posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) and posterolateral corner (PLC) insufficiency in a recently treated patient in the outpatient clinic of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery in Pittsburgh. In an effort to provide the best and most evidence-based scientific knowledge, we felt compelled to review the literature and present the current standard of care for isolated, combined, and recurrent PCL injuries [21, 22]. The comprehensive literature review has opened our eyes. What do we actually know about PCL graft failures and recurrent instability? Was the cause of surgical PCL graft failure in the presented patient an inappropriate graft choice, non-anatomic tunnel placement, underlying bony deformities, wrong timing, non-compliance of the patient, bad luck, or even the decision for operative treatment? …