A STUDY OF ASSOCIATED INJURIES OF POSTERIOR CRUCIATE LIGAMENT TEAR

Background And Aim: Posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) tears, though less common than anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears,are significant knee injuries that often occur with associated damage to other knee structures.This aimed to investigate the incidence of associated injuries in patients with confirmed PCL tears Methodology: A prospective observational study was conducted at BIRRD Hospital,Tirupati,a tertiary care orthopaedic hospital over a period of one year (October 2023 – September 2024).All patients presenting with confirmed PCL tears (either isolated or combined with other knee injuries) were included. The study involved both clinical evaluation and imaging studies to diagnose PCL tears and any associated injuries. Results: The study included 45 subjects.The data on demographics, causes of injury, and associated injuries was collected through clinical assessment and MRI imaging and analysed. The results demonstrated that the most common associated injuries were ACL tears (20%), medial meniscal tears (18%), and collateral ligament injuries (10%). Conclusion: This study provides valuable insight into the nature and frequency of associated injuries in PCL tears, highlighting the common occurrence of ACL tears, meniscal injuries, and collateral ligament damage. Our study results reinforces the importance of considering multi-ligament involvement in patients with PCL tears.