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Clinical and radiologic evaluation of the posterior cruciate ligament-injured knee

  • PCL Update (K Jones and M Alaia, section editors)
  • Published:
Current Reviews in Musculoskeletal Medicine Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose of review

Accurate isolated PCL diagnosis continues to present a challenge. This article reviews the current literature regarding clinical and radiographic evaluation of PCL injuries.

Recent findings

A thorough history to understand the mechanism of injury should begin any evaluation. Several clinical tests have been shown to effectively assess PCL laxity, with the posterior drawer test possessing the highest sensitivity and specificity. Any thorough exam should compare the contralateral, uninjured leg. If a PCL or multi-ligament injury is suspected, plain radiographs should be performed to avoid missing a fracture or avulsion. An MRI represents the current gold standard for diagnosing ligament injuries in the knee and should always be obtained in these cases. Due to the significant incidence of nerve injuries (25%) and vascular injuries (18%) with knee dislocations, any suspicion of neurovascular compromise necessitates further studies.

Summary

A combination of a thorough clinical history and examination, followed by appropriate imaging optimizes PCL and multi-ligament injury evaluation.

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References

Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: • Of importance

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopedics. Division of Sports Medicine, NYU Langone Health, 333 East 38th Street, New York, NY, 10016, USA

    Ahmad Badri, Guillem Gonzalez-Lomas & Laith Jazrawi

Authors
  1. Ahmad Badri
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  2. Guillem Gonzalez-Lomas
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  3. Laith Jazrawi
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Correspondence to Laith Jazrawi.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on PCL Update

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Badri, A., Gonzalez-Lomas, G. & Jazrawi, L. Clinical and radiologic evaluation of the posterior cruciate ligament-injured knee. Curr Rev Musculoskelet Med 11, 515–520 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12178-018-9505-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12178-018-9505-0

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