Acute external capsuloligamentous lesions of the knee.

The authors discuss 18 cases of acute capsuloligamentous lesions of the external compartment of the knee submitted to surgical treatment. The results obtained by separately studying the progression of the various types of anatomical lesions revealed a relationship between the entity of the lesion and the results. Positive results were as follows: 100% in isolated lesions of the EC, 70% in lesions of the EC and ACL, 40% in lesions of the EC + ACL + PCL. In grade I distorsion trauma surgery is not indicated; in grade II lesions treatment is based on an objective examination in narcosis, and surgery should be performed when dynamic tests are positive; in grade III lesions surgery is always indicated. An objective examination in narcosis (rarely arthroscopy) is thus of essential importance to therapeutic indications.