Quantitative Study of the Tibial Collateral Ligament in Chilean Individuals
Moreno–Novoa, F.; Cabezas–Salgado, J. J. & Olave, E.
Summary
The tibial collateral ligament (TCL) is the most frequently injured ligament of the knee, acting as the main passive restriction to valgus rotation. It has a triangular shape, composed of vertical and oblique fibers. However, its qualitative description remains controversial; moreover, current quantitative descriptions are incomplete or based on a small number of samples. The objective of the present study was to provide quantitative and qualitative information on the TCL in Chilean individuals. To this end, 30 lower limbs of Chilean adults were used, with samples fixed in formalin. Measurements included: total length, length from the femoral joint line to the femoral insertion, length from the tibial joint line to the distal tibial insertion, width at the femoral insertion, width at the femoral joint line, width at the distal tibial insertion, and thickness between the tibial insertions. The LCT has an average length of 97.77 mm, the width was 6.74 mm at the proximal insertion, 17.94 mm at the femoral joint line and 9.56 mm at the
distal tibial insertion, while the average thickness was 1.02 mm. Significant differences between the widths were identified in the different areas of the LCT and a correlation between the total length and width at the femoral joint line. The LCT has been described only with vertical fibers, but this study confirmed the presence of posterior oblique fibers, in line with previous studies suggesting that these fibers are part of the LCT and not the posterior oblique ligament (POL). Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics, and one-way ANOVA and Pearson's correlation coefficient were also used. This study provides a detailed description of the LCT, highlighting its structure and morphometry, and contributes to the anatomical knowledge of the ligament, essential for surgical planning in cases of injuries.
KEY WORDS: Anatomy;Tibial collateral ligament; Biometry.
