Treatment of a Failed Posterior Cruciate Ligament Avulsion Fracture Fixation in a Skeletally Immature Patient

Abstract

Case: A 12-year-old skeletally immature girl presented with 1 year of persistent instability after an open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) for a posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) avulsion fracture. With a period of nonoperative management, her PCL stress radiographic measurements significantly decreased and her posterior tibial slope increased because the primary ORIF effectively led to growth arrest with an early fusion of the posterior tibial physis. At age 13 years when she was skeletally mature, revision PCL and fibular collateral ligament (FCL) reconstructions were performed. Promising clinical outcomes were observed at age 17 years. Conclusion: Pediatric patients with a failed PCL ORIF can successfully be managed with a period of nonoperative bracing and a revision PCL reconstruction once skeletally mature.