Interposition of the transverse ligament of the knee into a fracture of the tibial plateau: a case report

Kazimierz T Szopinski,Pawel Adamczyk

doi:10.1007/s00256-018-2883-y

Abstract

Interposition of the transverse ligament of the knee between fragments of an intercondylar eminence fracture was diagnosed using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in a 11-year-old boy after a sports injury. The interposition was confirmed and corrected during arthroscopy. We report what we believe to be the first published case of isolated interposition of the transverse ligament in a minimally displaced fracture of the tibial eminence.

Highlights

Transverse ligament (TL) of the knee, known as anterior intermeniscal ligament (AIL) or transverse geniculate ligament is an anatomical structure inserting into the anterior horns of the menisci [1, 2]
The TL restricts the antero-posterior excursion of the medial meniscus during the early phase of knee flexion [9]
Radiography performed in the emergency ward at the skiing resort demonstrated a minimally displaced fracture of the tibial eminence, and the patient’s knee was treated with a cast

Summary

Introduction

Transverse ligament (TL) of the knee, known as anterior intermeniscal ligament (AIL) or transverse geniculate ligament is an anatomical structure inserting into the anterior horns of the menisci [1, 2]. The TL restricts the antero-posterior excursion of the medial meniscus during the early phase of knee flexion [9]. Increased tension of this ligament during knee flexion and rotation may contribute to tears of the anterior horn of the medial meniscus [2]. Radiography performed in the emergency ward at the skiing resort demonstrated a minimally displaced fracture of the tibial eminence, and the patient’s knee was treated with a cast. The diagnosis of a minimally displaced fracture of the tibial eminence was confirmed by CT performed at another institution (not shown). MRI performed on the same day, using the same machine and imaging technique as previously, demonstrated a

Reference Method

Discussion

Findings

Compliance with ethical standards