Measurement of Distance Between Femoral Insertion of Fibular Collateral Ligament and Popliteus: A Cadaveric Study in Indian Population.

Background: Injuries to posterolateral corner (PLC) of knee are often neglected. The three key components of PLC are lateral collateral ligament (LCL), popliteofibular ligament (PFL) and popliteus tendon (PT). For adequate reconstruction, anatomic location of these ligaments should be well understood.

Material And Methods: Twenty formalin fixed cadaveric knees were dissected. PT and LCL identified. Circumference of the two structures marked with pen just after cutting them close to bone surface. Distance between the centre of LCL and PT was measured along with the measurement of distal femoral medio-lateral dimension (MLD) and Anteroposterior dimension (ALD) of lateral condyle.

Result: The mean distance between PT and LCL measured in 20 specimens was 8.3 ± 0.84 mm, with a range of 7 mm to 10 mm. MLD was 81.0 ± 3.6 mm and APD was 62.7 ± 3.2 mm.

Conclusion: The distance in Indian population is significantly smaller compared to the western. This has clinical implication in drilling the tunnels for PLC reconstruction.