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Updated: May 31, 2026

Dissection, MicroCT Scanning and Morphometric Analyses of the Baculum
Published on: March 19, 2017
An approach to comparative anatomy of the acetabulum from amphibians to primates
F Canillas1, M J Delgado-Martos, A Touza
1Anatomía, Histología y Neurociencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Hospital La Paz, Spain.
Abstract:
The objective of this study was to investigate the anatomy, both macroscopic and microscopic, of the soft tissue internal structures of the hip joint in animal species and in three human hips (an adult and two fetuses). We dissected the hip joints of 16 species and compared the anatomical features of the soft tissue from the respective acetabula. In addition, a histological study was made of the specimens studied. In amphibians, we found a meniscus in the acetabulum, which was not observed in any of the other species studied. The isolated round ligament is observed from birds onwards. In the group of mammals analysed, including the human specimens, we found a meniscoid structure in the acetabular hip joint. Furthermore, we found that the meniscoid structure forms an anatomo-functional unit with the round ligament and the transverse ligament of the coxofemoral joint. These discoveries suggest the participation of the soft tissue anatomy in adaptative changes of species.
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