This week, an article published by Terry Stanton for the Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), shed light on the research study recently completed by Vail, Colorado knee surgeon, Dr. Robert F. LaPrade, and his team of researchers on the posterolateral corner of the knee. According to the article, it states that for years, Dr. LaPrade and his team of colleagues have sought to advance knowledge of the posterolateral corner of the knee (PLC) and find more effective treatment strategies for injuries to this challenging anatomic site. Their efforts were recognized with the 2013 Orthopaedic Research and Educational Foundation (OREF) Clinical Research Award.
In the article, Stanton recognizes Dr. LaPrade’s work in unraveling many of the mysteries surrounding “the dark side” of the knee, and dives into the research study by including bits and pieces of the insight offered by LaPrade and his team into the anatomy, biomechanics, reconstruction techniques, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) protocols and clinical outcome assessments. He ends his article with this final summary of the research study:
A poor understanding of the anatomy of the PLC of the knee led to treatment failures due to the use of nonanatomic reconstruction techniques.
MRI studies should capture the entire fibular head and styloid region; bone bruises over the anteromedial knee should alert the clinician to a possible PLC injury.
Patients needing an ACL or PCL reconstruction should be assessed for PLC injury to reduce risk of reconstruction graft failure.
An autogenous semitendinosus graft will most closely reproduce the native strength of the FCL.
See the full article:
