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1873MeyerGH

 

Professor Georg Hermann von Mayer discovered a pressure mark from the ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF) on the head of the femur. In the fragment presented to your attention, the author points out that the named depression indicates the tension of the LCF in the position of flexion and external rotation of the hip. This idea of Mayer was later repeatedly cited, see, for example, the work of Hermann Welcker "Ueber das Hüftgelenk, nebst einigen Bemerkungenüber Gelenke überhaupt, insbesondere über das Schultergelenk" (1876).


von Meyer GH. Die Statik und Mechanik des menschlichen Knochengerüstes. Edited, Leipzig: Verlag von Wilhelm Engelmann; 1873. [fragment]

Quote pp. 342-344

 

Neben der Gelenkkapsel befindet sich in dem Hüftgelenke noch ein eigenthümlicher Bandapparat, das ligamentum teres, über dessen Bedeutung sehr verschiedene Auffassung gefunden wird. Von der einen Seite wird ihm nämlich entschieden die Bedeutung eines Bandes, insbesondere eines Hemmungsbandes vindicirt, und von anderer Seite wird ihm diese Bedeutung vollständig abgesprochen mit der Behauptung, dass es bei keiner Stellung des Femur gespannt sei, dagegen aber soll es dazu dienen, dem Femurkopfe Gefässe zuzuführen. Diese letztere Ansicht ist kaum der Beachtung werth, weil sie bei näherer Prüfung in sich selbst zusammenfällt; für's Erste nämlich findet man allerdings bei gewissen Stellungen des Femur das ligamentum teres gespannt, und für's

Zweite ist kein Grund vorhanden anzunehmen, dass der Gelenkkopf des Femur eine Quelle der Gefässzufuhr mehr haben müsse als andere Gelenkenden, und sollte man selbst daran denken wollen, dass solches der Fall sein könne, so würde man eine solche Meinung doch sogleich wieder aufgeben müssen, weil weder ein grösseres Gefäss in dem Ligamente sichtbar ist, noch auch ein grösseres Gefässloch in der Anheftungsstelle des Ligamentes an dem Femurkopfe und weil selbst die arteria acetabuli, welche doch noch das Gelenkfett in der fovea acetabuli zu versehen hat, eine verhältnissmässig sehr unbedeutende Arterie ist.

Das ligamentum teres hat also die Bedeutung eines Bandes, insbesondere eines Hemmungsbandes. Es ist nur noch die Frage zu stellen, welche Funktion ihm in dieser Eigenschaft zukommt. — Die. verbreitetste Ansicht über diesen Gegenstand ist die von den Brüdern WEBER aufgestellte, nach welcher das ligamentum teres ein Hemmungsband für die Adduktion sein soll. Diese Meinung gründet sich darauf, dass dasselbe in der aufrechten Stellung senkrecht gestellt ist und somit in der Adduktionsebene liegt. Wenn man nun aber bei unversehrter Kapsel die Gelenkpfanne von innen geöffnet und die Spannungsverhältnisse des lig. teres untersucht, so findet man, dass es in der aufrechten Stellung nicht gespannt ist und die Adduktion nicht hemmt. Es muss daher die Funktion dieses Bandes in einer andern Richtung gesucht werden. In welcher Richtung man die meiste Aussicht habe, eine Lösung der Frage zu finden, darüber gibt die Gestalt der fovea capitis die beste Auskunft. Diese Grube besteht nämlich aus zwei scharf geschiedenen Theilen. Der eine mehr nach vornen gelegene Theil ist eine kleine rauhe ovale Fläche; dieses ist die Anheftungsstelle des Bandes; der zweite hintere Theil ist eine glatte Rinne, welche tiefer an jener Anheftungsstelle beginnt und nach hinten seichter ausläuft. Die Richtung dieser Rinne ist dieselbe, wie diejenige der Axe des Femurhalses. Es ist keinem Zweifel unterworfen, dass diese Rinne ihre Entstehung dem Seitendrucke des gespannten Bandes verdankt und es ist daher der Schluss gestattet, dass das Band dann am Meisten gespannt, dann also in seiner funktionell wichtigen Lage sich befindet, wenn es in dieser Rinne gelegen ist. Untersucht man nun an einem Präparate oben bezeichneter Art, welche Stellung des Femur einer solchen Lage des Bandes entspricht, so findet man, dass dieses eine solche Flexion des Femur ist, bei welcher das collum femoris in der Richtung desjenigen Pfannenradius gestellt ist, welcher durch den hinteren Theil der incisura acetabuli geht. Für die Spannung des Bandes ist dabei übrigens noch eine Rotation nach aussen nothwendig. Man ersieht also daraus, dass das ligamentum teres bei flektirter Stellung des Femur hemmend für die Rotation nach aussen wird. Diese Wirkung ist übrigens nicht blos auf die eine oben bezeichnete Flexionsstellung beschränkt, sondern macht sich auch noch in den nach beiden Seiten hin benachbarten Flexionsgraden geltend.

Eine weitere Frage ist dann diejenige, wie die angegebene Funktion des ligamentum teres sich zu der unter gleichen Verhältnissen auftretenden gleichartigen Funktion des ligamentum ileo-femorale verhalte. In Antwort auf diese Frage muss ich bemerken, dass in keiner hierher gehörigen Stellung das ligamentum teres allein gespannt zu sein scheint;

immer tritt die Spannung zugleich in dem ligamentum teres und in dem ligamentum ileo-femorale auf und es ist hieraus ersichtlich, dass diese beiden Bänder für die bezeichnete Klasse von Stellungen ein hemmendes Kräftepa ar darstellen, welches auf beiden Seiten der Axe wirkt, in ähnlicher Weise, wie die beiden ligamenta alaria majora an dem Zahne des Epistropheus.

Anmerkung. Mit obigen Sätzen gebe ich nur vorläufige Mittheilung über Untersuchungen, welche ich in Bezug auf den fraglichen Gegenstand unternommen, aber noch nicht zu völligem Abschlusse gebracht habe.

Eine weitere Bedeutung scheint dem ligamentum teres auch noch darin zuzukommen, dass es bei gewissen Bewegungen das Gelenkfett der fovea acetabuli in die Pfanne hereinzieht. Oder ist jene Fettmasse nur eine Einrichtung, welche dem ligamentum teres freieren Spielraum zu schaffen geeignet ist? Auch über diesen Fragepunkt sind noch weitere Untersuchungen zu unternehmen.

In praktischer Beziehung gewähren die besprochenen Verhältnisse mancherlei Interesse, auf welches aber hier der Ort nicht sein kann, näher einzutreten. Es sei deswegen hier nur der folgenden beiden Punkte Erwähnung gethan:

1) die charakteristischen Haltungen in dem Hüftgelenke und sekundär auch in dem Becken bei Koxalgie erklären sich genügend aus dem Bestreben, dem Femur eine der» mittleren «möglichst nahe Stellung in dem Hüftgelenke zu geben, um die mit einseitigen Spannungen verbundenen Schmerzen zu vermeiden;

2) das ligamentum ileo-femorale als ein ungemein starker Bandstrang wird, ganz ausserordentliche Fälle abgerechnet, bei Luxationen niemals zerreissen oder abreissen; aus diesem Grunde kann ein Austreten des Femurkopfes nur nach hinten oder untenprimär stattfinden, aus demselben Grunde muss auch das lig. ileo-femorale massgebend für die Lagerungen des Femurkopfes nach dem Austreten aus der Pfanne werden und kann ferner mit Vortheil als Führung bei der Einrichtung der Hüftverrenkungen benutzt werden. Vgl. hierüber meinen Aufsatz II. 1, zu dessen Ergänzung ich übrigens hier bemerken will, wie ich mich seitdem überzeugt habe, dass, entgegen meiner dort ausgesprochenen Meinung, eine primäre Luxation auf das Hüftbein nicht vorkommen kann, weil ein solcher Grad der Extension in dem Hüftgelenk, wie er dafür nothwendig wäre, niemals zu Stande kommen kann. Ich muss deshalb, wie damals schon die sogen. Luxation auf das Schambein, so jetzt auch die sogen. Luxation auf das Hüftbein für eine sekundäre Lagerung erklären.

In addition to the articular capsule, the hip joint contains a special ligament apparatus, ligamentum teres, the meaning of which is interpreted differently. On the one hand, it is credited with the role of a ligament, especially an inhibitory one, and on the other hand, this role is denied with the statement that it does not tense in any position of the thigh, but serves to supply blood of the femoral head. However, the latter opinion is hardly worthy of attention, since on closer examination it turns out to be untenable; firstly, it is true that in some positions of the thigh the ligamentum teres is tense, and secondly, there is no reason to believe that the head of the femur should have more sources of blood supply than the other ends of the joints, and even if someone wanted to assume that this perhaps such an opinion would be rejected immediately, since no larger vessel is observed in the ligament, no larger opening for a vessel is observed at the site of attachment of the ligament to the femoral head, and even the arteria acetabuli, which supplies the articular fatty tissue in the fovea acetabuli, is relatively an insignificant artery.

Thus, ligamentum teres has the meaning of a ligament, especially an inhibitory one. The question of what function it performs in this capacity remains open. The most common opinion on this subject is that expressed by the WEBER brothers, according to which the ligamentum teres should be an inhibitory ligament for adduction. This opinion is based on the fact that in the vertical position it is perpendicular and therefore lies in the plane of adduction. However, if, having an intact capsule, you open the glenoid cavity from the inside and study the tension of the ligamentum teres, it turns out that in a vertical position it is not tense and does not inhibit adduction. Consequently, the function of this ligament must be sought in a different direction. The most likely direction for finding the answer to this question is indicated by the shape of the fovea capitis of the thigh. This fossa consists of two clearly separated parts. One part, the more anterior one, is a small rough oval surface; this is the site of attachment of the ligament. The second, posterior part is a smooth canal, starting deeper at this insertion site and gradually becoming shallow towards the posterior part. The direction of this channel coincides with the direction of the axis of the femoral neck. There is no doubt that this channel is formed under the pressure of a tense ligament, and, therefore, it can be concluded that the ligament is at its most tense, and therefore in its functionally important position, when it is located in this channel. By examining preparations of this type, it can be established to which position of the femur corresponds such a position of the ligament, and it turns out that it is flexion of the hip, during which the femoral neck is directed towards the side through which the posterior part of the acetabulum passes. To tension the ligament, outward rotation is also necessary. Thus, the ligamentum teres, when flexing at the hip joint, has an inhibitory effect on external rotation. Incidentally, this effect is not limited to just the one flexion position mentioned above, but is also noticeable in adjacent degrees of flexion on both sides.

Another question is how the specified function of the ligamentum teres relates to the similar function of the ligamentum ileo-femorale, which manifests under the same conditions. In response to this question, I must note that in none of the corresponding positions does the ligamentum teres alone appear to be tense; tension always occurs simultaneously in both the ligamentum teres and the ligamentum ileo-femorale, and hence it is evident that these two ligaments constitute a restraining pair of forces for the specified class of positions, acting on both sides of the axis, similar to how both ligamenta alaria majora are located at the odontoid process (epistropheus).

Note. In the above sentences, I am only providing a preliminary report on the research I have conducted regarding the discussed issue, which I have not yet fully concluded.

The ligamentum teres seems to have an additional significance, in that with certain movements it attracts articular fat from the fovea acetabuli into the socket. Or is that fat mass just a device that can provide the ligamentum teres with more free movement? Further research needs to be done on this issue as well.

In practical terms, the mentioned circumstances present various interests, but there is no space here for a more detailed discussion. Therefore, only the following two points are mentioned here:

1) The characteristic positions in the hip joint and, secondarily, in the pelvis in cases of coxalgia are satisfactorily explained by the desire to bring the femur as close as possible to a "neutral" position in the hip joint to avoid pain associated with unilateral tension.

2) The ligamentum ileo-femorale, as an extremely strong ligament, with the exception of extreme cases, never tears or detaches during dislocations; hence, hip dislocation primarily occurs backward or downward. Consequently, the lig. ileo-femorale must be decisive for the positions of the femoral head after dislocation from the acetabulum and can also be beneficially used as a guide in reproducing dislocations in the hip joint. Refer to my article II.1 on this matter, to which I would like to add that I have become convinced, contrary to my previously expressed opinion, that primary dislocation of femur cannot occur because the level of extension in the hip joint necessary for this can never be achieved. Therefore, I must explain both the so-called pubic-type dislocation and now the so-called pelvis-type dislocation as secondary positions.

 


External links

von Meyer GH. Die Statik und Mechanik des menschlichen Knochengerüstes. Edited, Leipzig: Verlag von Wilhelm Engelmann; 1873. books.google

Authors & Affiliations

Georg Hermann von Meyer (1815-1892) was Germany anatomist and physiologist; a lecturer in physiology and histology in Tübingen, and later a prosector at the Institute of Anatomy at the University of Zurich. [journals.lww.com , researchgate.net]


Portrait of Georg Hermann von Meyer (unknown date)
The author of the image is Ohne Angabe; 
Original in the wikimedia.org collection (CC0 – Public Domain, color correction)


Keywords

ligamentum capitis femoris, ligamentum teres, ligament of head of femur, anatomy, role, significance, biomechanics 

                                                                     

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BIOMECHANICS AND MORPHOMECHANICS
ROLE AND SIGNIFICANCE

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