Meniscotibial ligaments

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The meniscotibial ligaments also known as coronary ligaments attach the menisci to the tibial plateau and have a role in rotatory knee stability and anterior tibial translation .

Gross anatomy

The meniscotibial ligaments attach the menisci to the tibial condyles at various locations apart from the meniscal root attachments .

Attachments

Medial meniscus

The medial meniscus is attached to the medial tibial condyle at following locations :

posterior horn via the posterior meniscotibial ligament
midportion or corpus via the meniscotibial portion of the deep medial collateral ligament

The meniscotibial ligaments originate immediately inferior (6-7mm) to the edge of the articular cartilage of the medial and posterior part of the medial tibial plateau and insert at the outer surface of the medial meniscus just above the inferior edge. The medial posterior meniscotibial ligament shares a common meniscal attachment with the meniscocapsular ligament .

Additional attachments are located posteromedially via the following structures :

central meniscal attachment of the posterior oblique ligament (POL)
anterior arm of the semimembranosus tendon

Lateral meniscus

The lateral meniscus is attached to the lateral tibial condyle at following locations :

posterior horn via the posterior meniscotibial ligament
midportion or corpus via the lateral meniscotibial ligament, which courses in an oblique fashion immediately beneath the fibular collateral ligament

There are additional attachments of the lateral meniscus to the popliteus muscle posterolaterally via the popliteomeniscal fascicles and to the joint capsule at its superior border as well as to the fibula by the meniscofibular ligament .

Relations and/or Boundaries

The medial posterior meniscotibial ligament is located medially and posteriorly to the medial meniscal root attachment and covered by the joint capsule, which forms its tibial insertion inferiorly to the origin of the meniscotibial ligament . The meniscotibial attachment of the deep medial collateral ligament is covered by its superficial portion .

The lateral posterior meniscotibial ligament is located laterally and posteriorly to the lateral meniscal root attachment and medially to the popliteal hiatus a curved gap with a lack of inferior ligamentous attachments .

Radiographic features

The coronary ligament is visible in MRI as hypointense structure.

Related pathology

ramp lesion (meniscus)
- in the context of a posterior meniscotibial and/or meniscocapsular injury
posteromedial corner injury of the knee
posterolateral corner injury of the knee
floating meniscus