An unusual case of partial Anterior Cruciate ligament (ACL) tear secondary to a glass foreign body in an adolescent knee joint

INTRODUCTION Various types of foreign bodies have been removed from the knee joint. We report an unusual case of partial anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear secondary to a glass foreign body in an adolescent knee joint. CASE REPORT A 13-year-old boy presented with pain, swelling and deformity of the left knee since 4 days. X-Ray revealed a foreign body in the left knee joint. The glass foreign body remained in the subcutaneous tissue for few days and later migrated into the knee joint. Arthroscopy revealed partial tear in the ACL at the femoral attachment with about 10-20 % of fibres being involved. The glass piece was removed arthroscopically and the ACL fibres were trimmed. CONCLUSION Arthroscopic removal of foreign bodies from the knee is a very simple procedure and has the advantages of avoiding large incision, shorter stay in the hospital, faster recovery and reduced infection rates. Glass foreign bodies were previously implicated in cartilage damage and meniscal injuries but a foreign body resulting in ACL tear has not been reported in literature.