PFL Anatomy

This section describes the popliteofibular ligament (PFL) anatomy, including the femoral and fibular insertion sites.

General Description

The popliteofibular ligament originates at the fibular styloid process and attaches to the popliteus tendon. The PFL courses proximodistally from the fibular attachment [LLWE03] into the popliteus tendon, however this is not represented in the model. The model uses the popliteus tendon femoral insertion as the PFL’s femoral insertion. The PFL/popliteus tendon is medial to the LCL.

  • Femoral insertion: the femoral insertion of the popliteus tendon is used at the PFL’s femoral insertion. The insertion is anterior to the LCL femoral attachment. The center of the insertion area is 15.8 mm (range, 11.2 to 18.6) from the lateral femoral epicondyle. The area of the insertion is 59 mm^2 (range,53 to 62) Fig. 18 [LLWE03].
  • Fibular insertion: near the tip of the fibular styloid process. The PFL is described as having separate anterior and posterior attachments [LLWE03], however the model represents a single attachment.
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Fig. 17 The PFL anatomy for a right knee [LLWE03].

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Fig. 18 The femoral insertion of the popliteus tendon (labeled PLT) [LLWE03].

[LLWE03](1, 2, 3, 4, 5) Robert F. LaPrade, Thuan V. Ly, Fred A. Wentorf, and Lars Engebretsen. The posterolateral attachments of the knee. The American Journal of Sports Medicine, 31(6):854–860, 2003. URL: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/03635465030310062101.