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Case Reports
. 2020 Apr 6;2020(4):rjaa054.
doi: 10.1093/jscr/rjaa054. eCollection 2020 Apr.

An avulsion fracture of the anterior cruciate ligament attachment to the lateral femoral condyle in an elderly patient: a rare finding

A S E Brandsma  1 , L M Goedhart  1 , J J van Raaij  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

An avulsion fracture of the anterior cruciate ligament attachment to the lateral femoral condyle in an elderly patient: a rare finding

A S E Brandsma et al. J Surg Case Rep. .

Abstract

An anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture is a common injury. The ACL usually tears in its mid-substance, an avulsion fracture of the ACL mostly occurs at the tibial attachment. In few cases, an avulsion fracture occurs proximally from the ACL attachment to the lateral femoral condyle. This is a rare finding, especially in elderly patients. We report a case of an avulsion fracture of the ACL attachment to the lateral femoral condyle after a traumatic injury in a 60-year-old female. Injury was not recognized during initial assessment, but was later detected during knee arthroscopy because of persisting mechanical complaints with catching of the knee. This emphasizes the importance of a thorough physical examination and magnetic resonance imaging. As rare as this condition is, it is important for the orthopaedic surgeon in treating these patients to include femoral end avulsion injuries of the ACL in the differential diagnosis.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Conventional radiograph of the left knee shows no abnormalities.
Figure 2
Figure 2
MRI scan of the left knee. (a) ACL rupture. (b) Small incomplete fracture of the posteromedial tibia plateau. (c) Partial lateral meniscal tear.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Knee arthroscopy showed an avulsion fracture from the ACL of the lateral femoral condyle.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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