Complications of surgical reconstruction of multiligament injuries of the knee joint: diagnosis, prevention and treatment

Abstract

The main complications of surgical reconstruction of multiligament injuries of the knee joint are residual or recurrent instability, arthrofibrosis, popliteal artery injury, common peroneal nerve injury, compartment syndrome, fluid extravasation, symptomatic heterotopic ossification, wound problems and infection, deep venous thrombosis, and revision surgery. Careful surgical planning and execution of the primary surgical reconstruction of multiligament injuries of the knee joint can minimize the risk of the aforementioned complications. Careful postoperative follow-up is required to detect complications. Early recognition and prompt treatment are of paramount importance. To obtain good results in the revision surgery of failed multiligamentary knee reconstructions, it is crucial to perform a thorough and exhaustive evaluation to detect all the causes of failure. Addressing all associated injuries during revision surgery will lead to the best possible subjective and objective results, although functional outcomes are often modest. However, advanced age and high-energy injuries have been associated with the poorest functional outcomes after revision surgery of failed multiligament injuries of the knee joint. Cite this article: EFORT Open Rev 2021;6:973-981. DOI: 10.1302/2058-5241.6.210057