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The following study was performed to determine the precise anatomic correlate for the end points of sonographic measurement of the fetal femur. A cadaveric fetal thigh was dissected in layers and correlated with sonographic images. The margins of the osseous portion of the femur were determined on sonograms. Potential for underestimating femur length (oblique images) and overestimating femur length (including nonosseous portions of the femur in measurement) can be eliminated by requiring a view of the femur which includes the epiphyseal cartilages. In this way, the margins of the osseous portion may be accurately estimated, and there is assurance that the entire shaft has been visualized. Images of the dissected specimen indicate that the "distal femur point," which may cause confusion in measurement, is not a part of the osseous femur, but probably represents a specular reflection from the lateral surface of the distal epiphysis.

Musculoskeletal injuries in pediatric patients are on the rise, including significant increases in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries. Previous studies have found major anatomical changes during skeletal growth in the soft tissues of the knee. Specifically, the ACL and the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) change in their relative orientation to the tibial plateau throughout growth. In order to develop age-specific treatments for ACL injuries, the purpose of this study was to characterize orientation changes in the cruciate ligaments of the Yorkshire pig, a common pre-clinical model, during skeletal growth in order to verify the applicability of this model for pediatric musculoskeletal studies. Hind limbs were isolated from female Yorkshire pigs ranging in age from newborn to late adolescence, and were then imaged using high field strength magnetic resonance imaging. Orientation changes were quantified from the magnetic resonance images using image segmentation software. Statistically significant increases were found in the coronal and sagittal angles of the ACL relative to the tibial plateau during pre-adolescent growth. Additional changes were observed in the PCL angle, Blumensaat angle, intercondylar roof angle, and the aspect ratio of the intercondylar notch. Only the sagittal angle of the ACL relative to the tibial plateau experienced statistically significant changes through late adolescence. The age-dependent properties of the ACL and PCL in the female pig mirrored results found in female human patients, suggesting that the porcine model may provide a pre-clinical platform to study the cruciate ligaments during skeletal growth.