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First published on May 9, 2006, doi:10.1177/0363546506287825
This version was published on August 1, 2006
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The American Journal of Sports Medicine 34:1345-1350 (2006)
© 2006 American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine

The Incidence and Cross-sectional Area of the Meniscofemoral Ligament

Shinya Nagasaki, MD*, Yasumitsu Ohkoshi, MD, PhD, Kazuki Yamamoto, MD, PhD, Wataru Ebata, MD, PhD, Ryuusei Imabuchi, MD and Jun Nishiike, MD

From the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Hakodate Central General Hospital, Hakodate, Japan

* Address correspondence to Shinya Nagasaki, MD, Honcho 33-2, Hakodate, Ho, Japan 040-8585 (e-mail: nagasaki-s{at}hakochu-hp.gr.jp).

Background: The incidence, morphologic characteristics, and cross-sectional area of meniscofemoral ligaments of the knee are still not clarified.

Hypothesis: The incidence of meniscofemoral ligaments is very high, and they contribute significantly to the cross-sectional area of the posterior cruciate ligament complex.

Study Design: Descriptive laboratory study.

Methods: Clinical study: During arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, the presence of a meniscofemoral ligament was confirmed in 38 patients (16 men, 22 women; mean age, 23.6 years) by observation and probing. Laboratory study: Posterior cruciate ligaments with the lateral meniscus attached were obtained as specimens from 30 patients (3 men, 27 women; mean age, 71.9 years) during total knee arthroplasty. The posterior cruciate ligament and meniscofemoral ligaments were observed, and the cross-sectional area was measured using an area micrometer.

Results: Clinical study: The anterior meniscofemoral ligament was found in 36.8% of patients, the posterior meniscofemoral ligament was found in 71.1%, and both ligaments were found in 26.7%. The overall incidence of at least 1 meniscofemoral ligament was 84.2%. Laboratory study: The anterior meniscofemoral ligament was present in 5 (16.7%) cases, and the posterior meniscofemoral ligament was present in all cases (100.0%). The cross-sectional area of the posterior cruciate ligament proper was 50.1 ± 16.9 mm2, that of the anterior meniscofemoral ligament was 2.3 ± 1.2 mm2, and that of the posterior meniscofemoral ligament was 7.5 ± 2.5 mm2. The mean ratio of the cross-sectional area of meniscofemoral ligaments to the posterior cruciate ligament proper was 17.2% (4.0%–38.9%). The origin of the posterior meniscofemoral ligament from the posterior horn of the lateral meniscus could be classified into 5 types.

Conclusion: The meniscofemoral ligaments contributed significantly to the cross-sectional area of the posterior cruciate ligament complex.

Key Words: meniscofemoral ligament (MFL) • Humphry ligament • Wrisberg ligament • posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) • cross-sectional area






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