See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: [Link]

net/publication/263704292

Pes anserinus and anserine bursa: Anatomical study

Article in Anatomy & Cell Biology · June 2014

DOI: 10.5115/acb.2014.47.2.127 · Source: PubMed

CITATIONS READS

38 7,385

8 authors, including:

Nam-seob Lee Seung Yun Han Han

Konyang University College of Medicine Konyang University Hospital
71 PUBLICATIONS 582 CITATIONS 38 PUBLICATIONS 424 CITATIONS

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

Seung-Ho Han
Ewha Womans University
242 PUBLICATIONS 4,469 CITATIONS

SEE PROFILE

All content following this page was uploaded by Seung-Ho Han on 25 July 2014.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

 Original Article
[Link]
pISSN 2093-3665 eISSN 2093-3673

Pes anserinus and anserine bursa:

anatomical study
Je-Hun Lee1, Kyung-Jin Kim2, Young-Gil Jeong1, Nam Seob Lee1, Seung Yun Han1, Chang Gug Lee3,
Kyung-Yong Kim4, Seung-Ho Han4
1
Department of Anatomy, Konyang University College of Medicine, Daejeon, 2Department of Anatomy, Catholic Institute for Applied Anatomy, The
Catholic University of Korea College of Medicine, Seoul, 3College of Natural Sciences, Soonchunhyang University, Cheonan, 4Department of Anatomy,
Chung-Ang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea

Abstract: This study investigated the boundary of anserine bursa with the recommended injection site and shape on the
insertion area of pes anserinus (PA), with the aim of improving clinical practice. Eighty six legs from 45 Korean cadavers were
investigated. The mixed gelatin solution was injected to identify the shape of anserine bursa, and then the insertion site of the
PA tendons was exposed completely and carefully dissected to identify the shape of the PA. The sartorius was inserted into the
superficial layer and gracilis, and the semitendinosus was inserted into the deep layer on the medial surface of the tibia. The
number of the semitendinosus tendons at the insertion site varied: 1 in 66% of specimens, 2 in 31%, and 3 in 3%. The gracilis
and semitendinosus tendons were connected to the deep fascia of leg. Overall, the shape of the anserine bursa was irregularly
circular. Most of the anserine bursa specimens reached the proximal line of the tibia, and some of the specimens reached above
the proximal line of the tibia. In the medial view of the tibia, the anserine bursa was located posteriorly and superiorly from the
tibia’s midline, and it followed the lines of the sartorius muscle. The injection site for anserine bursa should be carried out at 20o
from the vertical line medially and inferiorly, 15 or 20 mm deeply, and at the point of about 20 mm medial and 12 mm superior
from inferomedial point of tibial tuberosity.

Key words: Cadaver, Anserine bursa, Pes anserinus, Bursa injection

Received February 6, 2014; 1st Revised May 12, 2014, 2nd Revised June 2, 2014; Accepted June 13, 2014

Introduction The PA tendons are commonly used as autografts in

ligamentous reconstruction of the knees [1, 2]. The main
The pes anserinus (PA) is composed of the combination advantage of this approach is the low donor side morbidity
of tendinous insertions of the sartorius, gracilis, and semi­ and the fact that harvesting PA tendons does not lead to
tendinosus muscles. These three muscles attach to the medial any clinical or functional deficits [1]. However, a minimally
side of tibia to generate a shape reminiscent of a goose’s foot, invasive surgery demands an understanding of the exact
which is the literal meaning of its name. This structure is locations of PA tendons from the insertion site.
clinically important in the reconstructive surgery involving There have been anatomical studies investigating on the
tendons or in the steroid injection for anserine bursitis (AB). shapes of the PA in various populations [1-3]. The present
study sought to determine in detail the relation between the
relative positions and shapes of the insertion site and the PA,
in a Korean population.
Corresponding author:
Seung-Ho Han The anserine bursa is located at the upper medial aspect
Department of Anatomy, Chung-Ang University College of Medicine, of the tibia, at the insertion of the conjoined tendon of the
84 Heukseok-ro, Dongjak-gu, Seoul 156-861, Korea
Tel: +82-2-2258-7262, Fax: +82-2-537-7081, E-mail: hsh@[Link] PA muscles. The AB can often be the source of discomfort

Copyright © 2014. Anatomy & Cell Biology

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License ([Link]
which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
128 Anat Cell Biol 2014;47:127-131 Je-Hun Lee, et al

in patients experiencing knee pain [4]. The AB has been recommended site based on the anatomical knowledge would
clinically diagnosed in 46.8% of the patients with knee be very helpful.
osteoarthritis. In contrast, 83.3% of AB or tendinitis patients Prior studies have investigated the human bursa [11-
were reported to have radiographic evidence of knee osteoar­ 19], but the anatomical information of anserine bursa was
thritis [5]. limited. In this reason, The aim of this study was to iden­
Steroid injection in the bursa is a method to treat bursitis tify the boundary of the anserine bursa to determine the
that can provide pain relief [4, 6-9]. The accuracy of anserine recommended injection site and the shape of the insertion
bursa injection with ultrasound-guidance is markedly higher area of PA.
compared to the blind injection [10]. In clinical practices,
however, surgeons are often confronted with the situations Materials and Methods
requiring blind injections, although they are well-aware that
the ultrasound-guided injection is highly preferred. In the The present study aimed to investigate the shape of a
case of a blind injection, understanding and identifying the footprint of the PA, 60 embalmed and 26 non-embalmed
specimens from 45 Korean adult cadavers (26 males and 19
females, age range of 49–96 years, and height range of 150–
178 cm). Each cadaver was placed in supine position and the
knee joint was maintained at a 90° flexion before dissection.
An incision was made at the knee area on the antero-me­
dial surface. After removing the skin around the knee, the
insertion site of the PA tendons was exposed completely and
was carefully dissected to identify the shape of the PA. The
width of the insertion site was measured and the shape of the
insertion site was recorded with photographs and by drawing.
Water was sprayed on the cadaver during dissection to
prevent them from drying. The measurements of the PA were
performed as follows (Figs. 1-3):
1) The insertion width of the sartorius on the medial side
of the tibia
2) The tendon width of the gracilis
3) The tendon width of the semitendinosus
Fig. 1. Sartorius tendon variation at the insertion site. Some parts of
4) The distance of the superior border of Sartorius from
the sartorius tendon were inserted into deeper layer than the gracilis
and semitendinosus tendons (arrow). ANT, anterior, G, gracilis; S, the inferomedial point of tibial tuberosity (IMPTT)
Sartorius; ST, semitendinosus; SUP, superior. To investigate the anserine bursa, 34 non-embalmed speci­

Fig. 2. Typical insertion site of the

pes anserinus. Dotted line denotes the
inferior border of the sartorius muscle.
(A) Semitendinosus was attached to
the inner space of the inferior borders
of sartorius. (B) Semitendinosus was
attached inferior to the Sartorius. ANT,
anterior; G, gracilis; S, Sartorius; ST,
semitendinosus; SUP, superior.

[Link] [Link]
Pes anserinus Anat Cell Biol 2014;47:127-131 129

Fig. 3. Variation of the semitendinosus tendon at the insertion site.

(A) The semitendinosus tendon was divided into two. (B) The
semitendinosus tendon was divided into three. ANT, anterior; G,
gracilis; POST, posterior; S, Sartorius; ST, semitendinosus; SUP,
superior.
Fig. 5. The anserine bursa revealed by injection of gelatin containing
blue ink. IB, infrapatellar branch; S, Sartorius; SN, saphenous nerve;
SV, saphenous vein; ANT, anterior; SUP, superior.

Fig. 4. The injection method in the anserine bursa. The injection-

needle was positioned at 20° from the vertical line medially and
inferiorly, 20.0±2.0 mm medial and 12.0±3.0 mm superior from Fig. 6. The distribution of nerves and vessels in the anserine bursa.
the inferomedial point of the tibial tuberosity. SUP, superior; MED, The proximal line of AB from inferomedial point of tibial tuberosity
medial. (IMPTT) was 16.0±5.0 mm, the distal line of AB from IMPTT was
65.0±7.0 mm, the posterior line of AB from IMPTT was 60.0±7.6
mm. ANT, anterior; SUP, superior.

mens from 18 Korean adult cadavers (9 males and 9 females,

same ranges in age and height as previously noted) were sartorius from that point used as the injection site. A solution
studied. Each cadaver was placed in supine position and the of 26 ml containing 5.0 g of gelatin (Merck, Darmstadt,
flexion of the knee joint was maintained at about 90°. The skin Germany) and 3 drops of blue ink (Maepyo, Seoul, Korea)
and soft tissue around the knee area were removed. To find was injected into the bursa by using a 50 ml syringe with 20
the best injection site in the anserine bursa, various methods gauge needle. The injection-needle was positioned at 20°
were explored in the preliminary study. The optimal location from the vertical line medially and inferiorly, at the point of
for injection, which was presently used for all specimens, was about 20 mm medial to superior border of sartorius from the
20 mm medial from the IMPTT, with the superior border of IMPTT (Fig. 4). The nerves and vessels on the anserine bursa

[Link] [Link]
130 Anat Cell Biol 2014;47:127-131 Je-Hun Lee, et al

were traced to determine their distribution (Figs. 5, 6). After IMPTT). The inferior border of anserine bursa was, on
checking the shape of PA at the insertion site, the shape of average, located at about 16 mm from the IMPTT. However,
bursa was determined and recorded as described above. The 8 out of 34 specimens had location at 20 mm above the pro­
measurements of the anserine bursa are as follows: ximal line of the tibia. In the medial view of the tibia, the
1) The proximal point of anserine bursa from the IMPTT anserine bursa was located posteriorly and superiorly from
2) The distal point of anserine bursa from the IMPTT the tibia’s midline, and it followed the lines of the sartorius
A single observer made all measurements using a digi­ muscle (Fig. 5).
talized caliper (Absolute Digimetric, Mitutoyo Corp, Kana­ When the bursa was divided into 9 parts, area C2 con­
gawa, Japan). Also, we divided into 9 parts on the basis of tained the largest number of nerves and vessels. Area A2 and
maxi­mum and minimum points on the bursa. Then, we A3, which corresponded to the injection point, contained
inves­tigated the frequency of the passage of vessels and nerves only 6.4% (24 cases) of the nerves and vessels (Fig. 6).
in each of the 9 parts for all specimens, and the frequency was
presented in percentage (Fig. 6). All metric data were analyzed Discussion
by using SPSS version 15.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA).
Comparisons between males and females were performed by The present findings echo those of Laprade et al. [20] in
using the t-test. P-values of < 0.05 were considered significant. American specimens, and show that the sartorius tendon
fascia is intimately attached to the superficial fascial layer,
Results whereas the gracilis and semitendinosus tendons are located
in the deep surface of the superficial fascial layer over the
The insertion width of the sartorius on the medial side medial aspect of the tibia. The average widths of the PA ten­
of the tibia was 32 mm (range, 26.0 to 37.0 mm). The dons in the previous and present studies differ by only 1.0
average tendon width was 7.0 mm (range, 4.0 to 10 mm) mm, indicating no influence of ethnicity.
for the gracilis and 10 mm (range, 7.0 to 14 mm) for the Variations such as an accessory band of the gracilis and
semitendinosus at their tibial attachment site. The average semitendinosus were frequent. Another study using 10 human
width for the injection site of superior border of sartorius cadaveric specimens reported that the accessory bands may
was 12±3.0 mm (minimum 6.0 mm, maximum 17 mm). No arise from these two muscle tendons and insert separately
significant difference was observed between all variables in into the PA [1]. The latter study [1] reported with dissections
males and females (P≥0.05). of accessory bands in all gracilis and semitendinosus tendons.
The sartorius tendon was inserted in the superficial layer, These two muscles are also connected to the crural fascia,
and the gracilis and semitendinosus were inserted deeper and the semitendinosus tendon was found with 31% of bifid
on the medial surface of tibia. In one specimen, some parts tendons and 3% of trifid tendons (Fig. 3). In one specimen,
of sartorius tendon were inserted deeper than the gracilis the sartorius tendon was inserted in bifid form to the tibia (Fig.
and semitendinosus tendons (Fig. 1). When we designated 1). Mores study in detail should prove many useful findings
the inferior borders of sartorius on the insertion site as a applicable to the reconstructive surgery.
reference line, the semitendinosus was attached to the inner Many cases involving pain in the PA insertion region are
space of the inferior borders of sartorius in 70% of the time diagnosed as PA tendinitis or bursitis syndrome. The diag­
(60 specimens), while it was attached inferior to the sartorius nosis is entirely based on clinical manifestations marked by
in 30% of the time (26 specimens) (Fig. 2). The number of spontaneous medial knee pain on climbing or descending
semitendinosus tendons at the insertion site varied: 1 in 66% stairs, tenderness at the PA insertion, and occasional local
of specimens, 2 in 31%, and 3 in 3% (Fig. 3). The semiten­ swelling [5]. The incidence of AB is higher in women; over­
dinosus tendons were usually connected to the deep fascia of weight individuals; individuals with osteoarthritis of the
the leg. It is fused with the periosteum over the subcutaneous knees, valgus deformities, and pes planus; and those of 50–80
surfaces of the bones. years of age, although younger obese women can also be
Overall, the shape of anserine bursa was irregularly cir­ affected [7, 9].
cular. Most of the anserine bursa in the specimens reached Presently, the proximal boundary of the anserine bursa
the proximal line of the tibia (about 65±7.0 mm from the was 10 mm medial from the IMPTT and the distal boundary

[Link] [Link]
 Pes anserinus Anat Cell Biol 2014;47:127-131 131

continued in the postero-superior direction in relation to 3. Ivey M, Prud'homme J. Anatomic variations of the pes anserinus:
the tendons of PA (Fig. 6). The bursa of almost all specimens a cadaver study. Orthopedics 1993;16:601-6.
4. Gnanadesigan N, Smith RL. Knee pain: osteoarthritis or anserine
reached the proximal tibial line, but 8 of the specimens
bursitis? J Am Med Dir Assoc 2003;4:164-6.
reached 20 mm above the line. These results may lead to
5. Yoon HS, Kim SE, Suh YR, Seo YI, Kim HA. Correlation between
further studies for useful understanding and treatment of AB. ultrasonographic findings and the response to corticosteroid
Some of the present specimens displayed infrapatellar injection in pes anserinus tendinobursitis syndrome in knee
nerve near the bursa from the saphenous nerve and vein in osteoarthritis patients. J Korean Med Sci 2005;20:109-12.
the inferior direction. However, this was not related to the 6. Brookler MI, Mongan ES. Anserina bursitis. A treatable cause
of knee pain in patients with degenerative arthritis. Calif Med
injection site, which was located 20 mm medially from the
1973;119:8-10.
IMPTT. The anserine bursa was distributed widely, from
7. Clapp A, Trecek J, Joyce M, Sundaram M. Radiologic case study.
the medial surface of the tibia, in the posterior direction on Pes anserine bursitis. Orthopedics 2008;31:306, 407-8.
the gastrocnemius muscle area. The observations from this 8. Osman MK, Irwin GJ, Huntley JS. Swelling around a child's
study support the proposal that when a surgeon performs knee. Clin Anat 2011;24:914-7.
an injection in the bursa, the injection should best be done 9. Helfenstein M Jr, Kuromoto J. Anserine syndrome. Rev Bras
Reumatol 2010;50:313-27.
on the medial surface of the tibia than away from it at the
10. Finnoff JT, Nutz DJ, Henning PT, Hollman JH, Smith J. Accuracy
posterior part. This was explained by basing the choice of site
of ultrasound-guided versus unguided pes anserinus bursa
at 20 mm medial to the IMPTT. injections. PM R 2010;2:732-9.
In conclusion, the results of this study recommend the 11. Beals TC, Harryman DT 2nd, Lazarus MD. Useful boundaries of
injection method best performed with prevention of dama­ the subacromial bursa. Arthroscopy 1998;14:465-70.
ging the vessels and nerves. The injection for AB should be 12. Bureau NJ, Dussault RG, Keats TE. Imaging of bursae around
the shoulder joint. Skeletal Radiol 1996;25:513-7.
carried out at 20o from the vertical line medially and infe­
13. Dunn T, Heller CA, McCarthy SW, Dos Remedios C. Anatomical
riorly, 15 or 20 mm deeply, and at the point of about 20 mm
study of the "trochanteric bursa". Clin Anat 2003;16:233-40.
medial and 12 mm superior from IMPTT (Fig. 4). 14. Kassarjian A, Llopis E, Schwartz RB, Bencardino JT. Obturator
externus bursa: prevalence of communication with the hip joint
Acknowledgements and associated intra-articular findings in 200 consecutive hip
MR arthrograms. Eur Radiol 2009;19:2779-82.
15. Robinson P, White LM, Agur A, Wunder J, Bell RS. Obturator
We thank Hong Byung Ook and Kim Sang Hyun, Depart­
externus bursa: anatomic origin and MR imaging features of
ment of Anatomy at Catholic Institute for Applied Anatomy,
pathologic involvement. Radiology 2003;228:230-4.
College of Medicine, and The Catholic University of Korea, 16. Sardelli M, Burks RT. Distances to the subacromial bursa from
for their help in gathering the data. This research was 3 different injection sites as measured arthroscopically. Arthro­
supported by basic science research pro­gram through the scopy 2008;24:992-6.
National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by 17. Schraner AB, Major NM. MR imaging of the subcoracoid bursa.
AJR Am J Roentgenol 1999;172:1567-71.
the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (NO.
18. Strizak AM, Danzig L, Jackson DW, Resnick D, Staple T.
2014006195).
Subacro­mial bursography. An anatomical and clinical study. J
Bone Joint Surg Am 1982;64:196-201.
References 19. Woodley SJ, Mercer SR, Nicholson HD. Morphology of the
bursae associated with the greater trochanter of the femur. J
1. Candal-Couto JJ, Deehan DJ. The accessory bands of Gracilis Bone Joint Surg Am 2008;90:284-94.
and Semitendinosus: an anatomical study. Knee 2003;10:325-8. 20. LaPrade RF, Engebretsen AH, Ly TV, Johansen S, Wentorf FA,
2. Mochizuki T, Akita K, Muneta T, Sato T. Pes anserinus: layered Engebretsen L. The anatomy of the medial part of the knee. J
supportive structure on the medial side of the knee. Clin Anat Bone Joint Surg Am 2007;89:2000-10.
2004;17:50-4.

[Link] [Link]

View publication stats