title: Peroneal nerve injury in three patients with knee trauma: MR imaging and correlation with anatomic findings in volunteers and anatomic specimens.
abstract: The aim of this article is to report on three patients with injuries of the peroneal nerve along the posterolateral aspect of the knee. Injuries in this area are less common than the injuries occurring at the level of the fibular head. In this article we report on three patients with posterolateral knee trauma who had peroneal nerve dysfunction. To better understand the precise location of the nerve on MR images, we performed MR imaging in five volunteers, and studied the position of the nerve on anatomic dissection ( n=1) and anatomic slices ( n=1). The common peroneal nerve is easily depicted on MR images and has a typical location along the posterior margin of the biceps tendon. Non-visualisation of the peroneal nerve at the posterolateral aspect of the knee, as seen on MR images, is consistent with nerve injury. Scar tissue at the posterolateral aspect of the knee indicates injury of this specific area, and involvement of the peroneal nerve is likely.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Vrije Universiteit Brussels, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Laurence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Trappeniers
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: De Maeseneer
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Van Roy
authors.forename: Christo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chaskis
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Osteaux
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D006801:Humans; D007718:Knee Injuries / Q000473:pathology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D010543:Peroneal Nerve / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000293:injuries*; D020427:Peroneal Neuropathies / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology