Abstract
To know the detailed morphology of the human sternoclavicular joint and its articular disc is essential to understanding the movement of this joint and the functional role of the disc. In the present study, 51 articular discs of the sternoclavicular joint of 29 Japanese cadavers were macroscopically examined and then embedded in paraffin to make a complete series of coronal sections for light microscopic observation. We classified the articular discs into three types, discoid, ring, and meniscoid. The discoid-type disc was flattened and round in shape, whereas the other two types had partial defects in the centers (ring type) or in the periphery (meniscoid type). We found the bony process that protruded from the sternal end of the clavicle and fitted into the defect part of the ring- or meniscoid-type discs. The mean values of this bony process of the clavicle adjacent to the articular disc were 2.1, 4.7, and 6.0 mm, respectively, in the three types of articular disc. The movement between the articular disc and the clavicle may be limited, because the articular disc was directly attached to the clavicle on its medial region. The present histological observation demonstrated that the sternal side of the disc was composed of fibrocartilage and dense connective tissue. The clavicular side of the disc was composed of only fibrocartilage. The clavicular side of the articular disc of the sternoclavicular joint has the function of resisting the compressive load to the clavicular surface.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Barbaix E, Lapierre M, Roy PV, Clarijs J-P (2000) The sternoclavicular joint: variants of the discus articularis. Clin Biomech 15(Suppl 1):S3–S7
Benjamin M, Ralphs JR (1998) Fibrocartilage in tendons and ligaments-an adaptation to compressive load. J Anat 193:481–494
Benjamin M, Qin S, Ralphs JR (1995) Fibrocartilage associated with human tendons and their pulleys. J Anat 187:625–633
Brossmann J, Stäbler A, Preidler KW, Trudell D, Resnick D (1996) Sternoclavicular joint: MR imaging-anatomic correlation. Radiology 198:193–198
DePalma AF (1959) The role of the discs of the sternoclavicular and acromioclavicular joints. Clin Orthop 13:222–233
Emura K, Matsuzaki T, Hoso M (2007) Degenerative changes of the human sternoclavicular joint disc, comparable with osteoarthrotic articular cartilage—a histopathological study. Rigakuryoho Kagaku 22:345–351 (in Japanese with an English abstract)
Geneser F (1986) Diarthroses (Synovial joints). In: Textbook of Histology. Munksgaard, Copenhagen, pp 250–257
Ham AW, Cormack DH (1979) Synovial joints. In: Histology 8th edn. J.B. Lippincott company, Philadelphia and Toronto, pp 464–477
Inman VT, Saundes JB dec M, Abbott LC (1996) Observations of the function of the shoulder joint. Clin Orthp Relat Res 330:3–10
Johnson D, Ellis H (2005a) Sternoclavicular joint. In: Standring S (ed) Gray’s anatomy, 39th edn. Elsevier, New York, pp 827–828
Johnson D, Ellis H (2005b) General organization and surface anatomy of the upper limb. In: Standring S (ed) Gray’s anatomy, 39th edn. Elsevier, New York, pp 801–816
Kier R, Wain SL, Apple J, Martinez S (1986) Osteoarthritis of the sternoclavicular joint: radiographic features and pathologic correlation. Invest Radiol 21:227–233
Standring S, Wigley C (2005) Intra-articular menisci, discs and fat pads. In: Standring S (ed) Gray’s Anatomy, 39th edn. Elsevier, New York, p 110
Takeshige N, Fujimaki E, Shimada K, Goto N (1998) Morphology of the sternoclavicular joint in adult humans. Showa Ikaishi 58:106–115 (in Japanese with an English abstract)
Terry GC, Chopp TM (2000) Functional anatomy of the shoulder. J Athl Train 35:248–255
Tillmann B (2003a) Mediales schlüsselbeingelenk, Articulatio sternoclavicularis. In: Tillmann B (ed) Anatomie des Menschen, 3rd edn. Band 1. Thieme, Stuttgart, pp 338–339
Tillmann B (2003b) Intraartikuläre Strukturen. In: Tillmann B (ed) Anatomie des Menschen, 3rd edn. Band 1. Thieme, Stuttgart, pp 102–103
Acknowledgments
The author thanks Dr. T. Setsu and Mr. Y. Sakihama (Division of Anatomy and Developmental Neurobiology, Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine) for their kind advice and technical assistance. The author also thanks the members of our laboratory for their cooperation.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Emura, K., Arakawa, T., Terashima, T. et al. Macroscopic and histological observations on the human sternoclavicular joint disc. Anat Sci Int 84, 182–188 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12565-009-0014-5
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12565-009-0014-5