Sesamoid Bones of the Knee Joint of the Puma concolor

Abstract

C e r v e nyC., V. P Ii r a I: Sesamoid Bones o/the Knee Joint o/the Puma concolor. Acta vet.. Bmo 1995,64:79·82. The sesamoid bones of the knee joint were studied in three cadavers of adult pumas (Pumo concolor), i.e. one female and two males, with regard to the already known and described situation in the.domestic cat, in terms of its occurrence, formation and topographical-anatomical relation to the bones of the knee joint. The cadavers were obtained from zoos as a contribution to our anatomical collections. Following X-ray examinations, the patella, ossa sesamoidea m. gastrocnemii and os sesamoideum m. poplitei were studied after anatomical dissection using classical osteological methods and differential staining of the bone tissue with alizarin. The heart-shaped patella of the puma is relatively wider, shorter and more flattened than that of the cat. Its os sesamoideum m. gastrocnemii laterale is larger than the medial, as is the eat's. The shape of the os sesamoideum m. poplitei resembles a smaller patella and is embedded in the tendomuscular transition of the respective muscle.Oval shadows were observed in the cranial part of the femorotibial articular slit on radiographs in laterornedial projections. Based on this finding and applying the described methods and techniques, in all the examined cases we proved an osseous formation -os menisci medialis -a heterotopic bone showing lamellar osteons after routine histological examinations with HE staining. Our findings can be employed in comparative anatomy and in clinical practice, particularly when assessing radiographs of the knee region of the Puma concolor. Puma concolor, knee joint, ossa sesamoideaThe knee joint is a very important junction of the stylopodium and zeugopodium in mammals. Strong and long muscles pass over this joint, and many supportive sesamoid bones have developed. In mammals it is regularly the patella, and in some also the ossa sesamoidea m. gastrocnemii and os sesamoideum m. poplitei.H abe r m e h 1 (1960) and Pre u s s (1970) suggested that these sesamoid bones around the joints or cartilaginous formations, such as corpora sesamoidea, have developed due to the increased pressure of tendons on the surface of the articular capsule during muscular activity. Rom mer and Par son s (1983) range these osseous formations among heterotopic bones. E 11 e n b erg e rand B au m (1891), Pea r son and D a v in (1921), B a um andZi e t s chmann (1936), Kol da (1942), B aro ne (1960), N i c k e 1 • S c hum mer -S e i fer 1 e (1977) and others all reported that these bones occur regularly in domestic carnivores as given above. In the domestic cat they were described byRei ghard tand] enning s (1930), Pro s ee (1984), Mc earth y -Wood (1987 and K 0 n i g (1992). No literature data were found about sesamoid bones in the region of the knee joint in other felids. Ret t ere r (1918) studied the dorsal sesamoid bones of the digits in the lion and cat, and M 0 r i t z (1960) the suprapatellar and parapatellar cartilages of the knee joint in the c...

Meniscal mineralisation in little spotted cats

“…However, although the meniscal mineralisation in the little spotted cat was located in the area of the medial meniscus, no signs of articular degeneration were observed on radiographs and CT images. These findings were similar to those reported in large non-domestic cats, in which the meniscal ossicles are considered to be common and have no correlation with a degenerative process [11,12]. …”

“…However, in a study of 4029 boars of the Landrace and Yorkshire breeds, meniscal ossification was detected in the cranial horn of the lateral meniscus as a single or multiple foci, showing a prevalence rate of 2.6% [9]. Furthermore, meniscal mineralisation has been reported in domestic cats [10], and in large non-domestic cats (lions, tigers, leopards, jaguars, cougars, and pumas) [11,12]. …”

Sesamoids in tetrapods: the origin of new skeletal morphologies

“…Pearson & Davin (); Pedersen (); Haines (); Červený & Páral (); Olson (); Walker et al . (); Salas, Pujos & de Muizon (); Baum & Smith (); Jerez et al .…”

“…Much research has been performed regarding sesamoids in mammals, but unevenly distributed among clades and sesamoids. The best studied orders are Rodentia, mainly Mus musculus as a model organism (Pedersen, ; Wirtschafter & Tsujimura, ; Ralphs et al, ; Ralphs, Tyers & Benjamin, ; Doherty et al, ; Koyama et al, ; Eyal et al, , a , b ; Abella et al, ), Primates (Jungers et al, ; Walji & Fasana, ; Le Minor, , , ; Sarin et al, ), mainly focused on Homo sapiens within a clinical framework (see Section V), and Carnivora (Carey et al, ; Vaughan & France, ; McCarthy & Wood, ; Arnbjerg & Heje, ; Červený & Páral, ; Endo et al, ; Kirberger et al, ; Walker et al, ; Antón et al, ; Salesa et al, ; Abella et al, ). Surprisingly, aquatic mammals with their highly divergent skeletons have been largely ignored within the sesamoid literature.…”

“…Wood‐Jones, ; Le Minor, ; Endo et al, ; Sánchez‐Villagra & Menke, ; Antón et al, ; Salesa et al, ; Hutchinson et al, ; Mitgutsch et al, ; Abella et al, , ), the cyamella (located in the tendon of the m. popliteus) and fabellae (located in the tendon of the m. gastrocnemius) (e.g. McCarthy & Wood, ; Le Minor, ; Arnbjerg & Heje, ; Červený & Páral, ; Sarin et al, ; Salas et al, ). It has been proposed that fusion of the cyamella and fabella produced the parafibula (Pearson & Davin, ).…”