THE ANTEROLATERAL LIGAMENT OF KNEE: A DESCRIPTIVE CADAVERIC STUDY

Abstract

Background: The French surgeon, Paul Segond described the existence of “Pearly, resistant brous band” at the anterolateral aspect of the human knee in 1879. This is perhaps the rst description of what is today known as Anterolateral Ligament (ALL). Injury to this structure (tibial avulsion of anterolateral ligament) is classically called the Segond fracture and is pathognomonic of associated anterior cruciate ligament tear. Aim of the study is to describe the gross anatomy of anterolateral ligament and its relationship with nearby structures. Dissection was done on 30 embalmed cadaveric knees allotted for dissection to medical students atMethods: Department of Anatomy, KIMS, Hubli over a period of 2 years. When present, its length and width were measured. It revealed that theResults: Anterolateral ligament was present in 20 and absent in 10 specimens. The mean length of ALL is 36.22±1.18mm and mean width of ALL is 4.28±0.29mm. This study describes the morphology and also estimates the incidence, mean length and mean width (at joint level) ofConclusion: ALL in north Karnataka population.