Abstract
Posteromedial and posterolateral reconstructions of the knee are frequently required
in the management of knee dislocations. This study compares the accuracy of radiographic
reference points to established anatomical landmarks in reproducing the isometric
points of the posteromedial corner and posterolateral corner (PLC) of the knee. Posteromedial
and posterolateral surgical approaches were made in 20 cadaveric knees. The posteromedial
and posterolateral isometric points of each femur were determined using the anatomic
landmarks and radiographic reference points in a randomized order. An Isometer was
used to measure the displacement, to the nearest millimeter; knees were passed into
flexion. A two-tailed t-test was used to analyze the data and statistical significance was set to p < 0.05. For the isometric point of the PLC, the radiographic method resulted in a
mean displacement of 1.63 mm as the knee was passed from extension into flexion, while
the anatomic method had a mean displacement of 4.84 mm (p < 0.00018). The mean displacement on the posteromedial side using the radiographic
method was 2.10 mm as the knee was passed from extension into flexion, while the anatomic
method resulted in 3.21 mm of displacement (p = 0.074).
Keywords
isometric point - posteromedial ligament reconstructions - posterolateral ligament
reconstructions - radiographic reference points
