The Segond fracture (SF) is considered pathognomonic of an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear. However, the anatomy of the soft-tissue attachments responsible for the avulsion of SFs has been a cause of controversy. A 31-year-old male patient presented with an injury to his right knee that resulted in ACL tear and a SF. Open SF fixation and arthroscopic ACL reconstruction were performed. The anatomical dissection demonstrated that the avulsion of SFs had occurred because of the tibial attachment of the anterolateral ligament (ALL) with an intact Iliotibial band. At 1-year postoperative follow-up, the ACL graft had restored anterior tibial translation to within normal limits. However, residual rotational knee laxity was observed. This finding highlights that patients with SF may be at increased risk of persistent instability after ACL reconstruction. Consideration should be given to recession of the fixation or augmentation of the ALL when dealing with this injury pattern.
Keywords: knee injuries; knee laxity; ligament laxity; ligament rupture.
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