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Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL) and Meniscofemoral Ligaments

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MRI of the Knee

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Abstract

The posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) is the strongest ligament of the knee. It is intra-articular and extrasynovial. The PCL arises from the anterolateral surface of the medial femoral condyle and reaches the posterior intercondylar area of the tibia. The femoral origin is more anterior than that of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), and in contrast to the ACL, the PCL is larger at its femoral origin than at its tibial insertion [1]. The tibial attachment is extra-articular, and it is approximately 1 cm distal to the plane of the articular surface [2]. PCL is the primary restraint to posterior tibial translation relative to the femur and becomes more important in preventing distraction of the joint as the knee reaches higher degrees of flexion [3, 4].

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Phoenix Diagnostic Clinic, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

    Nicolae V. Bolog MD, PhD, MS

  2. Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland

    Gustav Andreisek MD, MBA & Erika J. Ulbrich MD

Authors
  1. Nicolae V. Bolog MD, PhD, MS
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  2. Gustav Andreisek MD, MBA
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  3. Erika J. Ulbrich MD
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  4. René Roth
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Bolog, N.V., Andreisek, G., Ulbrich, E.J., Roth, R. (2015). Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL) and Meniscofemoral Ligaments. In: MRI of the Knee. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-08165-6_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-08165-6_2

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-08165-6

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