Joints and ligaments · Lower limb
Transverse ligament !
The transverse ligament of the knee is a small band that links the front ends of the two menisci.
Official name: Transverse ligament of knee
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What it is
A small ligament linking the front horns of the two menisci.
What it does
Helps keep the menisci in place.
Key facts
- Attaches
- Anterior horn of medial meniscus to anterior horn of lateral meniscus (inconstant)
- Function
- Links the menisci anteriorly so they move together
Relations
- Course
- Crosses the front of the tibial plateau from the anterior horn of the medial meniscus to the anterior horn of the lateral meniscus
- In front
- Infrapatellar (Hoffa) fat pad
- Behind
- Tibial attachment of the ACL in the anterior intercondylar area
How to find it
Not palpable. At arthroscopy it is the band joining the two anterior meniscal horns at the front of the plateau, best seen after part of the fat pad is shaved; it is followed back to find the front of the ACL footprint.
On imaging
Axial MRI shows it as a thin dark band running across the front of the knee from horn to horn. On sagittal images it appears as a dark dot in the fat pad, which can be mistaken for a loose body, and its junction with the lateral anterior horn can mimic a tear.
Clinical notes
- At arthroscopy it is seen at the front of the joint, often partly hidden by the fat pad, and serves as a landmark for the ACL tibial footprint behind it
- The entry point for a tibial intramedullary nail lies just in front of it and the anterior meniscal horns, which can be damaged if the entry is placed too far back
Anatomical variants
- Oblique meniscomeniscal ligaments, which run from the anterior horn of one meniscus to the posterior horn of the other through the notch, are rare; on MRI they can mimic a displaced meniscal fragment
Test yourself
Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.
What does the transverse ligament of the knee connect?
The anterior horn of the medial meniscus to the anterior horn of the lateral meniscus.
What MRI pitfall does the transverse ligament create?
Its junction with the anterior horn of the lateral meniscus can look like a tear (pseudotear).
Which structure lies just behind the transverse ligament at the front of the tibia?
The tibial attachment of the ACL; the transverse ligament is an arthroscopic landmark for the ACL footprint.
Educational information, not medical advice. For any symptom, see a health professional.
Its names
- Official Latin (TA2)
- ligamentum transversum genus TA2 1889
- Official Spanish (DeCS)
- Ligamento transverso de la rodilla
- English (TA2)
- Transverse ligament of knee
- Also called
- transverse genicular ligament · ligament of Weber
Related
Sources: Terminologia Anatomica (TA2); Anatomy, Bony Pelvis and Lower Limb: Medial Meniscus; Anatomy, Bony Pelvis and Lower Limb, Knee Lateral Meniscus.
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Representative model, for educational purposes only.
