title: Anatomical study of the popliteofibular ligament and surrounding structures.
abstract: Although the popliteofibular ligament (PFL) is an important posterolateral structure of the knee joint, the anatomical characteristics of this ligament remain unclear. We morphologically classified and measured the PFLs from 78 cadaver knees. The PFL was observed in all knees, and it was classified into type I (with one layer) or type II (with two layers). The mean lengths of the anterior and posterior margins were 12.7 and 6.8 mm, respectively; and the mean width and thickness were 10.4 mm and 2.1 mm, respectively. The PFL inclined forward at a mean sagittal angle of 20.7 degrees, which is similar to the 21.2 degrees of the posterior cruciate ligament, indicating that the PFL contributed to posterolateral rotatory stability.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, St. Marianna University School of Medicine, 2-16-1 Sugao, Kawasaki 216-8511, Japan.
authors.forename: Hideya
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ishigooka
authors.forename: Toshihiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sugihara
authors.forename: Kuniaki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.forename: Haruhito
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Aoki
authors.forename: Kazuaki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hirata
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D008023:Ligaments, Articular / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged