Advances and trends in multiligament injuries of the knee relevant to low-resource settings

Abstract

Recent advances in the management of multiligament knee injuries have led to improvements in diagnosis and management and allowed enhanced understanding of the biomechanics of ligament reconstructions. Most studies arise from subspecialist knee centers in high-income countries and can inform global strategies, but each patient encounter and environment is unique and not all recommendations may be feasible in every setting. For ligamentous injuries, the gold standard is acute arthroscopic, single-stage ligament reconstruction, although this is not always possible in the limited resource setting (LRS). For these circumstances, non-operative management, although rarely promoted, may be preferred in selected patients. Furthermore, acute surgery relies on adequate post-operative physiotherapy, otherwise a delayed surgical approach should be considered. Reconstruction remains the gold standard, but acute repair is an option for medial collateral and posterior cruciate ligaments and for avulsion fractures. For a vascular examination, a careful clinical assessment and routine angiography should be done in LRS. Due to the heterogeneity of injury and patient profile, outcomes vary widely and need to be interpreted in the context of the surgical setup. The main complications of these injuries are stiffness, residual laxity, and surgical site infections. Future trends will need to include a global perspective and provide solutions for surgeons in various parts of the world.