Traumatic dislocation of the knee.

Traumatic dislocation of the knee is an uncommon orthopedic injury affecting primarily young males who have been subjected to major trauma. The presentation may be subtle and the diagnosis is frequently overlooked. The high frequency of associated limb-threatening vascular injury mandates careful search for and aggressive treatment of this entity, as misdiagnosis of the knee injury or failure to pursue evaluation of the vascular status of the limb will result in a large number of potentially avoidable amputations.