THE POSTEROLATERAL ASPECT OF THE KNEE - ANATOMY AND SURGICAL APPROACH

Thirty cadaveric knees were dissected to obtain a detailed understandi ng of the anatomic structures of the posterolateral aspect of the knee , and a dependable surgical approach to evaluate injuries to these str uctures was developed and used on 71 consecutive patients who were ope rated on for posterolateral knee injuries. Three fascial incisions and one lateral midcapsular incision were used to provide surgical access . The following individual anatomic structures were identified: the la yers of the iliotibial tract, long and short heads of the biceps femor is muscle, fibular collateral ligament, midthird lateral capsular liga ment, fabello-fibular ligament, posterior arcuate ligament, popliteus muscle complex, lateral coronary ligament, and posterior capsule. This study increased our understanding of the individual anatomic structur es and the relationships between these components. The surgical approa ch provided for the evaluation of these anatomic structures should aid the surgeon in properly assessing the injuries before surgical repair . This information should also stimulate more anatomic, biomechanical, and clinical studies of the posterolateral aspect of the knee.