Presentation
Status post motor vehicle accident
Patient Data
There is a lucent line traversing the posterior tibial eminence with cortical disruption and mild offset of the fragment. A small suprapatellar effusion is noted.
The fracture is outlined.
There is minimal offset of the fragment with a small comminuted fragment medially. This amount of offset indicates a type 1 PCL avulsion fracture.
The diagrams demonstrate the grade and mechanism of the injury.
Case Discussion
There is an avulsion fracture of the PCL (type 1) at its insertion on the posterior tibial eminence, most likely secondary to an impact of the tibia on the car's dash. This mechanism makes sense because this fracture involves the non accelerating leg, which is typically flexed in position while driving, creating a good bio-mechanical scenario for shearing the tibia posterior relative to the femur in a frontal impact situation.
This case is courtesy of Eric White, MD, who generously shared it with me.