The Etiology and Treatment of Congenital Dislocation of the Knee

Abstract

Five knees with congenital dislocation were explored. The cruciate ligaments were found to be absent or hypoplastic. The results obtained by reconstructing an anterior cruciate ligament appear to be good. On the basis of dissections of foetal knees we believe that the cruciate ligaments are the main structures preventing an anterior dislocation of the knee in early foetal life; this deviation from the adult pattern is due to the bony configuration of the foetal knee. We therefore postulate that the basic defect in congenital dislocation of the knee is an absence or hypoplasia of the cruciate ligaments.

Congenital dislocation of the knee

“…We could not find any support in our material for the suggestion of Katz et al (1967) that lack of the anterior cruciate ligament would be of importance for developing CDK. We rather feel that increasing CDK causes the cruciates to lengthen gradually.…”

Correlation of fetal posture and congenital dislocation of the hip

“…Our investigation, however, revealed the highest incidence of unstable hip (20 per cent) in single-breech presentation, one of three types of breech presentation. Furthermore, the incidence of bilateral instability in single-breech presentation was higher than in cephalic presentation, all in accord with Wilkinson (1963Wilkinson ( , 1972 Katz et al 1967). Eight of our 11 hips with congenital genu recurvatum were associated with CDH.…”

Reconstruction of quadriceps tendon with Achilles tendon allograft in older children with congenital dislocation of the knee

“…ACL may be present but are elongated, thick and wide [2]. In contrast, cruciate ligament abnormalities may be primary in older children [11]. Advancement of ACL to prevent the recurrence, particularly in late cases, is recommended.…”