Somatotopic features of the collagen skeleton of the knee meniscus in men

Abstract

Relevance. The structural features of the collagen skeleton, including constitutional ones, suggest the ability of the menisci to withstand excessive mechanical stress and injury.Purpose – to study the differences in the collagen skeleton of the knee menisci in male corpses of different types of sexual dimorphism according to J. Tanner.Materials and methods. The menisci of the knee joints (medial and lateral) from the corpses of 84 men aged 22–74 years of different types of sexual dimorphism according to J. Tanner were studied. Microslides of the menisci at the level of the body, anterior and posterior horns, stained according to the method of K. Masson, were made. The location is described and the percentage of collagen fibers of the fibrous cartilage of the menisci of the knee joints with surrounding formations per unit area of unchanged cartilage tissue at the level of the horns and body of the menisci is calculated.Results. The collagen fibers of the body of both menisci of men are located in parallel, forming the central, upper and lower middle and superficial layers. In the horns, collagen fibers are located chaotically, which leads to “smoothing” of the boundaries. A minimal amount of collagen was found in the central layer of both horns and the body of the meniscus compared to the superficial layers. The maximum values of the percentage of collagen in the central layer are characteristic of the body, the minimum – for the posterior horn of the menisci. Low percentages of collagen in the dorsal horn are due to the andromorphic type.Conclusion. The andromorphic type of sexual dimorphism according to J. Tanner in men is a predisposition factor to damage to the menisci of the knee joints.