Vetomica
Create free account

Dog · Bone · Pelvic limb

Patella

A sesamoid bone in the tendon of the quadriceps. It rides in the femoral trochlea and lengthens the lever the muscle works through.

System
Bone
Region
Pelvic limb
Sides
Paired: left and right
Named parts
3

Where it runs from and to

A muscle is told apart from its neighbours by what it takes hold of at each end, which is also what decides what it does when it shortens.

Action
A sesamoid bone in the tendon of the quadriceps. It rides in the femoral trochlea and lengthens the lever the muscle works through.

Written for Vetomica in its own words from the standard reference anatomy of the dog; the books it was checked against are listed below.

Named parts

What to look for on the bone, and what each part is called in the Nomina Anatomica Veterinaria.

Base of the patellaBasis patellae
The broad proximal end, where the quadriceps tendon arrives.Miller 2020, p. 347
Apex of the patellaApex patellae
The point at the distal end, where the patellar ligament leaves for the tibia.Miller 2020, p. 347
Articular surfaceFacies articularis
The back face that slides in the femoral trochlea.Miller 2020, p. 347

What it meets

Sesamoid in the tendon of M. quadriceps femoris, on the femoral trochlea.

Bones it articulates with

Joints it forms

  • Femoropatellar joint

Muscles and ligaments that take hold of it

  • Patellar ligament
  • Quadriceps femoris
  • Parapatellar fibrocartilages
  • Medial femoropatellar ligament
  • Lateral femoropatellar ligament

Measured on the specimen

What the patella is in contact with in the model itself, with the share of the other structure’s surface it covers. A contact is not always a joint: bones that simply lie against one another are in this list too.

Measured on the left side.

Terminology

English
Patella
Latin (NAV)
Patella
Status
A valid term in the Nomina Anatomica Veterinaria

References

Where to read this structure in full, and where the named parts above were read.

  • Miller 2020Miller 2020, ch. 4 The Skeleton, Femur / Sesamoid Bones of the Stifle Joint, PDF p. 340-348
  • König & Liebich 2020skeleton of the pelvic limb, p. 243-263
  • Dyce 2017ch. 17 Hindlimb of the Dog and Cat, p. 481
  • NAV 2017Osteologia