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Surgical injury to the lateral aspect of the knee

A comparison of transverse and vertical knee incisions

Division of Orthopedic Surgery, Section of Sports Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Clinical Science Center, Madison, Wisconsin

J.N. Amalfitano, M.D.

Division of Orthopedic Surgery, Section of Sports Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Clinical Science Center, Madison, Wisconsin

W.G. Clancy, JR., M.D.

Division of Orthopedic Surgery, Section of Sports Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Clinical Science Center, Madison, Wisconsin

A.A. Mcbeath, M.D.

Division of Orthopedic Surgery, Section of Sports Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Clinical Science Center, Madison, Wisconsin

R.G. Narechania, M.S.

Division of Orthopedic Surgery, Section of Sports Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Clinical Science Center, Madison, Wisconsin

We retrospectively evaluated postoperative straight lateral and anterolateral rotatory knee stability in patients having a lateral meniscectomy through vertical and horizontal capsular inci sions. The knees of 20 patients with transverse (Bruser) and 20 patients with vertical (parapatellar) incisions were clinically and mechanically evaluated. Varus-vagus and anterior drawer measurements were obtained from our knee stress machine and clinical examinations. We found that (1) horizontal and vertical lateral capsular incisions do not produce straight lat eral or anterolateral rotatory instability in patients with intact anterior cruciate ligaments, (2) a transverse lateral capsular incision may contribute to anterolateral rotatory instability, and (3) a vertical lateral capsular incision provides better visualization of the knee joint than a transverse incision.