Meniscus (anatomy)

Meniscus
Meniscus
	Head of right tibia seen from above, showing menisci and attachments of ligaments
	Left knee-joint from behind, showing interior ligaments
Details
Identifiers
Latin	meniscus
Greek	μηνίσκος ("meniskos")
MeSH	D000072600
TA98	A03.0.00.033
TA2	1544
	Anatomical terminology

A meniscus (pl.: menisci or meniscuses) is a crescent-shaped fibrocartilaginous anatomical structure that, in contrast to an articular disc, only partly divides a joint cavity.^[1] In humans, they are present in the knee, wrist, acromioclavicular, sternoclavicular, and temporomandibular joints;^[2] in other animals they may be present in other joints.

Generally, the term "meniscus" is used to refer to the cartilage of the knee, either to the lateral or medial meniscus. Both are cartilaginous tissues that provide structural integrity to the knee when it undergoes tension and torsion. The menisci are also known as "semi-lunar" cartilages, referring to their half-moon, crescent shape.

The term "meniscus" is from the Ancient Greek word μηνίσκος (meniskos), meaning "crescent".^[3]

^ Platzer (2004), p 208
^ "Meniscus", Stedman's (27th ed.)
^ Cite error: The named reference OLEX was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[Platzer-208-1] Platzer (2004), p 208

[2] "Meniscus", Stedman's (27th ed.)

[OLEX-3] Cite error: The named reference OLEX was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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[2]

[3]

Meniscus (anatomy)

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