Embryonic development of the posterolateral structures of the knee.

ABSTRACT

The development of the structures in the posterolateral corner of the knee was studied in fifteen human embryos and seventeen fetuses by means of serial sections in the coronal and sagittal planes. The attachments of the lateral meniscus and fibular head to the popliteal tendon and muscle are formed during the process of cavitation that forms the bursa. The connection between the tendon and the posterior border of the lateral meniscus forms obliquely to follow the direction of the muscle and tendon. The edge of the bursa is limited by attachments that connect the tendon to the lateral meniscus and fibular head. In this study, no direct ligamentous continuity was found to exist between the posterolateral femur and tibia during development. The only ligament that indirectly connects the lateral femur posteriorly to the proximal segment of the tibia, which has never been reported in human development, is the one that links the popliteal tendon to the fibular head. We have designated this the popliteo fibular ligament which was also found in adult specimens. This ligament should not be confused with the arcuate popliteal ligament.