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Added by Christian Veillette , last edited by Christian Veillette on Sep 06, 2008  (view change)
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Location Knee
Diagnosis ACL tear - Segund fracture
Discussion Frontal radiographs of the knee which reveal a small fleck of bone adjacent to the lateral aspect of the lateral tibial plateau. This "lateral capsular sign" is a simple radiographic finding visible on the routine AP knee x-ray, which indicates severe lateral capsular injury and should alert the examiner to the possibility of ACL tear. The fleck of bone represents an avulsion of the meniscotibial portion of the middle one-third of the lateral capsular ligament. It most commonly implies a disruption of the capsular ligament and the ACL. A-B Radiographs. C. MRI confirms the diagnosis of ACL tear.
Reference Woods GW, Stanley RF, Tullos HS: Lateral capsular sign: X-ray clue to significant knee instability. Am J Sport Med 1979; 7:27-33.
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