Tendinous insertion of semimembranosus muscle into the lateral meniscus

Forty-two cadaver knees were used for morphologic and MRI observations of the tendinous distal expansions of the semimembranosus m. and the posterior capsular structures of the knee. A tendinous branch of the semimembranosus m. inserting into the posterior horn of the lateral meniscus was found in 4...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Surgical and radiologic anatomy (English ed.) 1997, Vol.19 (6), p.365-369
Main Authors: Kim, Y C, Yoo, W K, Chung, I H, Seo, J S, Tanaka, S
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Genetic Variation
Humans
Knee - anatomy & histology
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Menisci, Tibial - anatomy & histology
Tendons - anatomy & histology
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Forty-two cadaver knees were used for morphologic and MRI observations of the tendinous distal expansions of the semimembranosus m. and the posterior capsular structures of the knee. A tendinous branch of the semimembranosus m. inserting into the posterior horn of the lateral meniscus was found in 43.2% of the knees dissected, besides five already known insertional branches; capsular, direct, anterior and inferior, as well as the oblique popliteal ligament. The tendon had three morphologic types; thin, broad and round. All three types moved the lateral meniscus posteriorly when pulled on. Thus, the semimembranosus m. may also have a protective function for the lateral meniscus as well as the already well established function of protecting the medial meniscus in knee flexion. When a semimembranosus tendon attachment to the posterior horn of the lateral meniscus is present, its normal insertion is difficult to differentiate from a lateral meniscus tear in MRI and this may cause misdiagnosis.
ISSN:0930-1038
1279-8517
DOI:10.1007/BF01628503