Fig. 4

Axial P45 section of the knee joint through the tibiofibular joint. Many reticulated trabeculae are visible near the lateral (a) and posteromedial (b) tibial cortex. In the central area of the metaphysis of the tibia, the trabeculae are parallel, in a sagittal orientation (black arrows). There are numerous thickened trabeculae on the deep surface of the tibial tuberosity (c). Contrastingly, the cancellous bone of the fibula is mainly composed of grid-like trabeculae, mostly located in the posterior region of the fibular head (d). The dense, reticulated trabeculae in the metaphysis of the tibia and the posterior half area of the neck of the fibula may be united by the tibiofibular joint to form a tripartite construction. T, the metaphysics of the tibia; FH, fibular head; the black ellipse, the reticulated trabecular area densely distributed in the fibula and tibia