New Body Part Discovered by Belgian Doctors

While it is natural to assume that 400 years of research would mean that the human body carries no more secrets, two Belgian doctors revealed that they have discovered a new knee ligament whose existence was last suspected more than 130 years ago.

A scientist named Paul Segond had suspected the presence of the anterolateral knee ligament (ALL) after failing to recover from his chronic pain in his knee. The researchers dissected around 41 dead bodies to confirm their finding which has been published in the Journal of Anatomy.

The ALL runs alongside the CLL ligament on the outside of the knee and plays a key role in the stability of the knee. The researchers added that injury to this ligament could be the reason why some people who undergo surgery to repair their ACL ligament tear it once again.

"The precise anatomical knowledge of this enigmatic structure delivered by this study could be highly relevant for clinical practice. However, further research is needed to establish the function of the ALL and to determine its role in clinical knee injuries", the researchers wrote in their report.



Source: Medindia