Resumo

FERREIRA, N  e  MARAIS, LC. Chronic knee dislocation treated with a Taylor Spatial Frame. SA orthop. j. [online]. 2012, vol.11, n.2, pp.61-64. ISSN 2309-8309.

Chronic knee dislocations are fortunately not seen commonly, but when these injuries do present, they are typically a source of severe functional impairment to the patient. Surgical management may harbour further complications due to the extensive soft tissue release that is required, and the fact that significant deformities are corrected acutely. We report on a 32-year-old, HIV-1 infected, female patient 20 months after a dislocation of the left knee. Due to the extent of her flexion contracture, she was unable to walk unaided. A Taylor Spatial Frame was applied across the knee, and gradual reduction of the dislocation, with correction of the knee flexion deformity, was performed over a period of 26 days. The final result produced a stable, ankylosed knee that allowed weight bearing without the need for any walking aids. No complications attributed to the reduction or the fixator was experienced, and no additional surgeries were required. We conclude that gradual reduction of chronic knee dislocations, using the Taylor Spatial Frame, provides a safe and effective method of treating these complex injuries without subjecting patients to extensive surgical soft tissue release procedures.

Palavras-chave : knee dislocation; Taylor Spatial Frame.

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