Role of the Popliteal Fossa in Knee Problems: Theoretical Considerations and Practical Implications
,
Abstract
The popliteal fossa is located at the back of the knee joint and it is an area where blood vessels and nerves and also lymph nodes pass. Popliteal fossa injuries includes nearly 2% of acute knee injuries. The treatment of chronic injuries are always more difficult than acute ones, because its diagnosis would depend on careful interpretation of specific clinical exams. In this review, we describe our current understanding of role of popliteal fossa in knee problems, and summarize the anatomy and functional role of popliteal fossa and popliteomeniscal fibers, and mechanism of popliteomeniscal fibers injuries, and discuss strategies for diagnosis of popliteomeniscal fibers lesions, differential diagnosis, and treatment of the posterolateral corner injuries.
Drake R, Vogl W, Mitchell A. Gray’s anatomy for students Elsevier. London: Churchill Livingstone; 2005.
Gray H, Standring S. Gray’s anatomy: The anatomical basis of clinical practice. London: Churchill Livingstone; 2008.
Amonoo-Kuofi H. Morphology of muscle spindles in the human popliteus muscle. Cells Tissues Organs. 1989; 134(1):48-53. [DOI:10.1159/000146732] [PMID]
Simons DG, Travell J, Simons LS. Myofascial pain and dysfunction: The trigger point manual. volume 1. 2nd edition. Philadelphia: Williams & Wilkins; 1999. [DOI:10.1016/S0161-4754(99)70079-5]
Haslam P, Bickerstaff D. Postero-lateral rotatory instability. Current Orthopaedics. 2007; 21(6):451-6. [DOI:10.1016/j.cuor.2007.07.008]
Djian P. Posterolateral knee reconstruction (Ligamentoplasties postéro-latérales du genou) [French]. In: Conférences d’enseignement 2014: Amsterdom: Elsevier; 2014. pp.225-39. [DOI:10.1016/B978-2-294-74506-5.00018-7]
Hughston JC, Jacobson K. Chronic posterolateral rotatory instability of the knee. Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery: JBJS. 1985; 67(3):351-9. [DOI:10.2106/00004623-198567030-00001]
LaPrade RF, Wentorf FA, Fritts H, Gundry C, Hightower CD. A prospective magnetic resonance imaging study of the incidence of posterolateral and multiple ligament injuries in acute knee injuries presenting with a hemarthrosis. Arthroscopy: The Journal of Arthroscopic & Related Surgery. 2007; 23(12):1341-7. [DOI:10.1016/j.arthro.2007.07.024] [PMID]
LaPrade RF, Terry GC. Injuries to the posterolateral aspect of the knee: association of anatomic injury patterns with clinical instability. The American Journal of Sports Medicine. 1997; 25(4):433-8. [DOI:10.1177/036354659702500403] [PMID]
Diamantopoulos A, Tokis A, Tzurbakis M, Patsopoulos I, Georgoulis A. The posterolateral corner of the knee: Evaluation under microsurgical dissection. Arthroscopy: The Journal of Arthroscopic & Related Surgery. 2005; 21(7):826-33. [DOI:10.1016/j.arthro.2005.03.021] [PMID]
Brandt K D, Radin E L, Dieppe P A, van de Putte L. Yet more evidence that osteoarthritis is not a cartilage disease. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. 2006; 65(10):1261-4. [DOI:10.1136/ard.2006.058347] [PMID] [PMCID]
Kannus P. Nonoperative treatment of grade II and III sprains of the lateral ligament compartment of the knee. The American Journal of Sports Medicine. 1989; 17(1):83-8. [DOI:10.1177/036354658901700114] [PMID]
Burr D, Radin E. Trauma as a factor in the initiation of osteoarthritis. Cartilage changes in osteoarthritis: Indiana University. School of Medicine Press, Indianapolis, IN; 1990. pp. 73-80.
Kannus P. Long-term results of conservatively treated medial collateral ligament injuries of the knee joint. Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research. 1988; (226):103-12. [DOI:10.1097/00003086-198801000-00015]
Gale D, Chaisson C, Totterman S, Schwartz R, Gale M, Felson D. Meniscal subluxation: Association with osteoarthritis and joint space narrowing. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage. 1999; 7(6):526-32. [DOI:10.1053/joca.1999.0256] [PMID]
Grood ES, Stowers SF, Noyes FR. Limits of movement in the human knee: Effect of sectioning the posterior cruciate ligament and posterolateral structures. Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery: JBJS. 1988; 70(1):88-97. [DOI:10.2106/00004623-198870010-00014]
Suganuma J, Mochizuki R, Inoue Y, Yamabe E, Ueda Y, Kanauchi T. Magnetic resonance imaging and arthroscopic findings of the popliteomeniscal fascicles with and without recurrent subluxation of the lateral meniscus. Arthroscopy: The Journal of Arthroscopic & Related Surgery. 2012; 28(4):507-16. [DOI:10.1016/j.arthro.2011.08.311] [PMID]
Terry GC, LaPrade RF. The posterolateral aspect of the knee: Anatomy and surgical approach. The American Journal of Sports Medicine. 1996; 24(6):732-9. [DOI:10.1177/036354659602400606] [PMID]
Ullrich K, Krudwig WK, Witzel U. Posterolateral aspect and stability of the knee joint. I. Anatomy and function of the popliteus muscle-tendon unit: An anatomical and biomechanical study. Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy. 2002; 10(2):86-90. [DOI:10.1007/s00167-001-0268-5] [PMID]
Veltri DM, Deng XH, Torzilli PA, Maynard MJ, Warren RF. The role of the popliteofibular ligament in stability of the human knee: A biomechanical study. The American Journal of Sports Medicine. 1996; 24(1):19-27. [DOI:10.1177/036354659602400105] [PMID]
Sussmann PS, Simonian PT, Wickiewicz TL, Warren RF. Development of the popliteomeniscal fasciculi in the fetal human knee joint. Arthroscopy: The Journal of Arthroscopic & Related Surgery. 2001; 17(1):14-8. [DOI:10.1053/jars.2001.19653] [PMID]
Arnoczky SP, Warren RF. Microvasculature of the human meniscus. The American Journal of Sports Medicine. 1982; 10(2):90-5. [DOI:10.1177/036354658201000205] [PMID]
Arnoczky SP, Warren RF. The microvasculature of the meniscus and its response to injury: An experimental study in the dog. The American Journal of Sports Medicine. 1983; 11(3):131-41. [DOI:10.1177/036354658301100305] [PMID]
Yang J-H, Jeong H-I, Kim T-S, Park S-C, Yoon J-R. The management of the popliteus hiatus during lateral meniscal transplantation. The Knee. 2012; 19(6):959-61. [DOI:10.1016/j.knee.2012.04.007] [PMID]
Simonian PT, Sussmann PS, Wickiewicz TL, Potter HG, van Trommel M, Weiland-Holland S, et al. Popliteomeniscal fasciculi and the unstable lateral meniscus: Clinical correlation and magnetic resonance diagnosis. Arthroscopy: The Journal of Arthroscopic & Related Surgery. 1997; 13(5):590-6. [DOI:10.1016/S0749-8063(97)90185-7]
Sta H-U, Birrer S. The popliteus tendon and its fascicles at the popliteal hiatus: Gross anatomy and functional arthroscopic evaluation with and without anterior cruciate ligament deficiency. Arthroscopy: The Journal of Arthroscopic & Related Surgery. 1990; 6(3):209-20. [DOI:10.1016/0749-8063(90)90077-Q]
Hughston J, Andrews J, Cross M, Moschi A. Classification of knee ligament instabilities. Part II. The lateral. The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. American Volume. 1976; 58:173-9. [DOI:10.2106/00004623-197658020-00002] [PMID]
Bousquet G, Charmion L, Passot J, Girardin P, Relave M. Stabilisation du condyle externe du genou dans les laxités antérieures chroniques: Importance du muscle poplité [Stabilization of the external condyle of the knee in chronic anterior laxity: Importance of the popliteal muscle (French)]. Revue de Chirurgie Orthopédique et Réparatrice de L’appareil Moteur. 1986; 72(6):427-34. [PMID]
Shino K, Horibe S, Ono K. The voluntarily evoked posterolateral drawer sign in the knee with posterolateral instability. Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research. 1987; (215):179-86. [DOI:10.1097/00003086-198702000-00026]
Staubli H, Jakob R. Posterior instability of the knee near extension. A clinical and stress radiographic analysis of acute injuries of the posterior cruciate ligament. The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. British Volume. 1990; 72(2):225-30. [DOI:10.1302/0301-620X.72B2.2312560] [PMID]
Davies H, Unwin A, Aichroth P. The posterolateral corner of the knee: Anatomy, biomechanics and management of injuries. Injury. 2004; 35(1):68-75. [DOI:10.1016/S0020-1383(03)00094-9]
| Files | ||
| Issue | Vol 14 No 3 (2020) | |
| Section | Review Article(s) | |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.18502/jmr.v14i3.7711 | |
| Keywords | ||
| Posterolateral corner of the knee Popliteus Fossa Popliteomeniscal fascicles Injury | ||
| Rights and permissions | |
|
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. |
