New Ligament Discovered In the Human Knee
An image of a right knee after a full dissection of the anterolateral ligament (ALL). (Credit: University Hospitals Leuven)
Nov. 5, 2013 — Two knee
surgeons at University Hospitals Leuven have discovered a previously
unknown ligament in the human knee. This ligament appears to play an
important role in patients with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears.
Despite a successful ACL repair surgery and rehabilitation, some
patients with ACL-repaired knees continue to experience so-called 'pivot
shift', or episodes where the knee 'gives way' during activity. For the
last four years, orthopedic surgeons Dr Steven Claes and Professor Dr
Johan Bellemans have been conducting research into serious ACL injuries
in an effort to find out why. Their starting point: an 1879 article by a
French surgeon that postulated the existence of an additional ligament
located on the anterior of the human knee.
That postulation turned out to be correct: the Belgian doctors are
the first to identify the previously unknown ligament after a broad
cadaver study using macroscopic dissection techniques. Their research
shows that the ligament, which was given the name anterolateral ligament
(ALL), is present in 97 per cent of all human knees. Subsequent
research shows that pivot shift, the giving way of the knee in patients
with an ACL tear, is caused by an injury in the ALL ligament.
Some of the conclusions were recently published in the Journal of Anatomy. The Anatomical Society praised the research as "very refreshing" and commended the researchers for reminding the medical world that, despite the emergence of advanced technology, our knowledge of the basic anatomy of the human body is not yet exhaustive.
The research questions current medical thinking about serious ACL injuries and could signal a breakthrough in the treatment of patients with serious ACL injuries. Dr Claes and Professor Bellemans are currently working on a surgical technique to correct ALL injuries. Those results will be ready in several years.
ACL tears are common among athletes in pivot-heavy sports such as soccer, basketball, skiing and football.
Story Source:Some of the conclusions were recently published in the Journal of Anatomy. The Anatomical Society praised the research as "very refreshing" and commended the researchers for reminding the medical world that, despite the emergence of advanced technology, our knowledge of the basic anatomy of the human body is not yet exhaustive.
The research questions current medical thinking about serious ACL injuries and could signal a breakthrough in the treatment of patients with serious ACL injuries. Dr Claes and Professor Bellemans are currently working on a surgical technique to correct ALL injuries. Those results will be ready in several years.
ACL tears are common among athletes in pivot-heavy sports such as soccer, basketball, skiing and football.
The above story is based on materials provided by KU Leuven.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
- Steven Claes, Evie Vereecke, Michael Maes, Jan Victor, Peter Verdonk, Johan Bellemans. Anatomy of the anterolateral ligament of the knee. Journal of Anatomy, 2013; 223 (4): 321 DOI: 10.1111/joa.12087
New Ligament In Human Knee Discovered By Surgeons In Belgium (PHOTO)
The Huffington Post | By Sara Gates Posted: 11/06/2013 8:48 am EST | Updated: 11/06/2013 2:19 pm EST
Thought we knew every part of the human body? Think again.Surgeons in Belgium recently discovered a new ligament in the human knee. Publishing their research in the peer-reviewed Journal of Anatomy, the knee specialists provided the first anatomical description of the fibrous tissue, called the anterolateral ligament, or ALL, for short.
Though French surgeon Paul Segond proposed the existence of an additional ligament in the human knee as early as 1879, the structure evaded classification for many years.
Working from the French surgeon's notion, the team, led by the University of Leuven's Dr. Steven Claes, dissected cadaver knees in search of the "pearly, fibrous band" Segond described. What they found was a "well-defined ligamentous structure" that connects the femur (thighbone) with the anterolateral tibia (shinbone) in 40 of the 41 human knees they dissected, the authors wrote in the study.
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