TVTRAUMAVAULTCASE-BASED TRAUMA JUDGMENT
Teaching image withheldThe image will be revealed when it becomes clinically available in the case.
Portable ED cross-table lateral right-knee radiograph obtained after initial trauma stabilization and before reduction, demonstrating posterior tibial displacement relative to the distal femur, consistent with a posterior knee dislocation. The uploaded image is revealed at Stage 1; subsequent vascular findings and CTA occur later in the clinical timeline. teaching visual
Portable ED cross-table lateral right-knee radiograph obtained after initial trauma stabilization and before reduction, demonstrating posterior tibial displacement relative to the distal femur, consistent with a posterior knee dislocation. The uploaded image is revealed at Stage 1; subsequent vascular findings and CTA occur later in the clinical timeline. • TEACHING IMAGE
Trauma—Orthopedic and Vascular EmergencyHigh-energy motor-vehicle collision with a dashboard impact to the proximal tibia and forced posterior translation of the kneeIntermediate

Posterior Knee Dislocation: The Popliteal Artery You Cannot Miss

SCENARIO

A 29-year-old restrained driver is brought to the emergency department after a high-speed frontal collision. The right knee struck the dashboard. The leg is held in flexion with a prominent anterior contour at the knee and severe pain. There is no uncontrolled external hemorrhage. After spinal precautions, analgesia, and initial trauma assessment, the patient is awake and physiologically stable. A portable cross-table lateral radiograph of the right knee is obtained in the ED before reduction and transferred to the trauma workstation; the uploaded image is revealed at Stage 1. The foot is warm, and a dorsalis pedis pulse is palpable but diminished compared with the left; the posterior tibial pulse is difficult to appreciate. Motor function is limited by pain, and sensation is reduced subjectively over the dorsum of the foot.

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