Anatomical Reconsideration of the Lateral Collateral Ligament in the Human Knee Anatomical Observation and Literature Review英文文献资料.docVIP

Surgical Science, 2012, 3, 484-488 /10.4236/ss.2012.310096 Published Online October 2012 (http://www.SciRP.org/journal/ss) Anatomical Reconsideration of the Lateral Collateral Ligament in the Human Knee: Anatomical Observation and Literature Review Jun Yan , Sanjuro Takeda , Kotaro Fujino , Goro Tajima , Jiro Hitomi 1 2 2 2 1 1 Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Iwate Medical University, Morioka, Japan 2 Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Medicine, Iwate Medical University, Morioka, Japan Email: junyan@iwate-med.ac.jp Received August 6, 2012; revised September 8, 2012; accepted September 17, 2012 ABSTRACT In the published literature as well as in the most commonly used textbooks, the lateral collateral ligament (LCL) is de- scribed as having 1 attachment at the lateral epicondyle of the femur and another at the head of the fibula. In this article, we reconsider the attachments, the length of the LCL, and the tissues surrounding the LCL by presenting our anatomical observations and by reviewing the literature. Our results have shown that the LCL is not only attached to the lower part of the lateral epicondyle of the femur, but also extends to the upper part of the lateral epicondyle. The attachment of the LCL on the fibula is enclosed by 2 insertion points of the biceps femoris tendon. The average length of the LCL in 71 knees was 51.4 mm. There is an “incomplete gap” on the LCL that is interrupted under the tendon of the biceps femoris. Keywords: Knee Joint; Lateral Collateral Ligament; Morphological Feature; Incomplete Gap; Human 1. Introduction The specimens were obtained from cadavers during the 2010 and 2011 courses of dissection at Iwate Medical University School of Medicine (fixed with 10% formalin through the radial artery and preserved in 50% alcohol for