Anatomical Study of the Infrapatellar Branch of the Saphenous Nerve in Humans

An anatomical study was performed by dissection of 18 humans knees (9 right and 9 left knees). After exposure of the infrapatellar branch and its direct and indirect branches, they were then measured. We adopted a quadrant in the medial region of the knee delimited by two transversal planes as a parameter of the study.

Results

In 17 of the 18 knees (94.4%) studied, a single infrapatellar branch was observed. The infrapatellar branch emerged as fibers of the womb of the sartorius muscle in 17 of the 18 knees (94.4%). In relation to the branch, we observed that in 100% of the knees the infrapatellar branch had at least one primary branch, resulting in a superior branch and an inferior branch. In 9 limbs (50% of the cases) this branch occurred outside the proposed quadrant, and, in the remaining limbs, it occurred within the quadrant.

Conclusion

The infrapatellar saphenous nerve branch was found in all dissected knees, and, in 94.4% of the cases, it was of the penetrating type; in 100% of the cases, it originated two primary direct branches. The direct and indirect branches presented great variability regarding their path.

Keywords
knee/innervation; nerve compression syndromes; anatomy

Individuals	Distance (mm) - emerging point in relation to the articular line
	Outside the quadrant	Inside the quadrant
Individual 1 - R Knee Male	61.86	_
Individual 1 - L Knee Male	112.15	_
Individual 2 - R Knee Male	182.03	_
Individual 2 - L Knee Male	_	11.42
Individual 3 - R Knee Male	_	5.84
Individual 3 - L Knee Male	_	44.85
Individual 4 - R Knee Male	_	26.78
Individual 4 - L Knee Male	30.5	_
Individual 5 - R Knee Male	_	5.64
Individual 6 - L Knee Male	_	29.2
Individual 7 - L Knee Male N	20.50N/15.90N*	_
Individual 8 - R Knee Fem	134.88	_
Individual 8 - L Knee Fem	200.14	_
Individual 9 - R Knee Fem	_	13.74
Individual 9 - L Knee Fem	70.66	_
Individual 10 - R Knee Fem	_	13.74
Individual 10 - R Knee Fem	2.81	_
Individual 11 - R Knee Fem	_	_

Individuals	Distance (mm) primary branching - LA/LL		Distance (mm) secondary branching - LA/LL		Distance (mm) tertiary branching - LA/LL
	LA	LL	LA	LL	LA	LL
Individual 1 - R Knee Male	A: 15.90	A: 71.50	A: 11.94	A: 35.36
			B: 31.58	B: 38.65
Individual 1 - L Knee Male	A: 2.90	A: 60.50	A: 27.85	A: 58.87
			B: 28.12	B: 42.88
Individual 2 - R Knee Male			A: 2.34	A: 60.55	A: 24.54	A: 39.57
					B: 49.90	B: 38.97
					C: 53.08	C: 37.07
Individual 2 - L Knee Male	A: 17.24	A: 85.49	A: 45.81	A: 58.89	A: 68.98	A: 33.60
			B: 45.61	B: 54.46
			C: 50.95	C: 49.31
Individual 3 - R Knee Male	A: 24.17	A: 81.15	A: 42.24	A: 74.94
Individual 3 - L Knee Male
Individual 4 - R Knee Male
Individual 4 - L Knee Male					A: 23.81	A: 45.05
					B: 30.28	B: 45.21
Individual 5 - R Knee Male	A: 20.9	A: 86.1	A: 22.89	A: 38.80
			B:22.60	B: 27.91
Individual 6 - L Knee Male	A: 64.23	A: 76.06
Individual 7 - L Knee Male N	A: 23.92 N/A: 26.46N*	A: 63.84N/A: 76.06N*	A: 43.18	A: 28.91	A: 47.21	A: 13.00
					B:52.01	B:12.30
Individual 8 - R Knee Fem	A: 28.82	A: 59.61	A: 31.52	A: 58.57	A: 54.93	A: 39.65
			B: 39.03	B: 63.14	B: 54.97	B: 36.65
					C: 60.23	C: 31.49
Individual 8 - L Knee Fem			A: 8.88	A: 86.54	A: 57.75	A: 51.57
			B: 41.12	B: 63.69	B: 73.62	B: 37.39
					C: 68.08	C: 22.24
Individual 9 - R Knee Fem
Individual 9 - L Knee Fem			A: 16.20	A: 57.68
			B: 21.94	B: 38.17
			C: 23.08	C: 19.69
Individual 10 - R Knee Fem
Individual 10 - L Knee Fem	A: 40.64	A: 75.06	A: 49.56	A: 75.23
			B: 65.65	B: 42.51
Individual 11 - R Knee Fem					A: 0.92	A: 22.22
					B: 12.82	B: 25.71

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E-mail: rbo@sbot.org.br

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[1] Address for correspondence Alexandre de Paiva Luciano, PhD, Orthopedics and Traumatology Service, Hospital Universitário de Taubaté, Av. Granadeiro Guimarães, 270, Centro, Taubaté, SP, 12020-130, Brazil (e-mail: paivaortopedia@gmail.com).