Morphometric analysis of menisci of adult human knee joint in North Indian population

Abstract

Background: Of the synovial joints in the body knee joint is the largest. Each meniscus is a piece of fibrocartilage with a thickened outside edge and a thin inner edge so that it is wedge-shaped in cross section. The purpose of the present study was to establish database on standard dimensions in knee menisci of adults of north Indian population.Methods: The sample for this study was collected from April, 2012 to June, 2013. For this study, 200 menisci (100 right and left each) of 50 adult humans were taken for analysis. Measurements were done with the help of non-elastic thread and digital vernier calipers. All dissections were performed in a systematic fashion.Results: The width of the lateral meniscus was significantly different form medial meniscus with lateral and medial menisci widest in middle and posterior third respectively. The middle one third of both lateral and middle menisci was the thickest.Conclusions: It is always good to have a set of anatomical morphometric parameters of the menisci like the width and thickness. The measurements of suitable grafts may provide a more acceptable meniscal replacement in the future.

A Cadaveric Study Indicating Clinical Significance of Relation Between Area of Menisci With Corresponding Tibial Plateau and That of Distance Between Anterior Horn and Posterior Horn of Menisci

“…the distance between anterior and posterior horns is 28.87 + 1.06 mm and on the lateral side[Table 5] , is 12.60 + 0.35 mm. Wang et al [11] also report a similar observation the distance between the two horns on lateral side being 13.68 ± 2.19mm.Likewise, the results of Rohila et al [7] are close to our observations as the distance between the anterior and posterior horn of the medial meniscus (32.5 ± 3.7 mm) was considerably more than that of the lateral meniscus (17.1 ± 4.0 mm). The lateral meniscus forms an almost complete ring as compared to medial one which is crescent shaped.…”

“…Time and again different authors have studied the morphological parameters of menisci of the knee. The noteworthy among them are Veeresh Itagi et al in 2017 [2],Sonia Arunkumar Gupta et al in 2015 [3],Jyoti Rohila et al in 2017 [7], Gopal Chandra Mondal et al in 2017 [8], Rashmi B.N. et al in 2016 [9],Dr.Bharti Prabhakar Nimje et al in 2014 [10] and Wang Yong-jian et al in 2009 [11].…”

Morphometry of Knee Menisci

“…For calculating thickness of menisci researchers have used different methods and techniques in cadavers and living subjects. The common technique used was digital Vernier caliper to calculate the thickness of menisci that is measured with the help of a non-elastic cotton thread at three different levels as anterior, middle and posterior (1,2,5,6) . Dhanajaya et al…”

“…Most common technique used in width measurement is using digital Vernier caliper. Other techniques used are sagittal and coronal T1 & T2 weighted MRI images and MR imaging technique (1,2,5,7,8,9) . The values of different studies are mentioned in Table 3 and 4.…”

“…Given the important role of menisci in maintaining joint stability, it is not surprising that a torn meniscus or a surgically removed menisci are well known to disturb the normal anatomy in the knee joint and results in early articular damage 9 . For this, morphometric parameters like thickness, width, length of outer circumference of menisci and distance between anterior and posterior horn of both menisci helps in successful restoration of native menisci and helps in maintain the congruity of knee joint 2 .…”