RT Journal Article T1 The relationship between additional heads of the quadriceps femoris, the vasti muscles, and the patellar ligament A1 Olewnik, Lukasz A1 Ruzik, Kacper A1 Szewczyk, Bartłomiej A1 Podgórski, Michal A1 Aragonés Maza, Paloma A1 Karauda, Piotr A1 Shane Tubbs, R A1 Sañudo Tejero, José Ramón A1 Bettencourt Pires, Maria A1 Polguj, Michal AB The quadriceps femoris consists of four muscles: the rectus femoris, vastus medialis, vastus intermedius, and vastuslateralis. However, the effect of additional quadriceps femoris heads on the vasti muscles and patellar ligaments is unknown. Theaims of the present study are to determine the relationship between additional quadriceps femoris heads and the vasti muscles andpatellar ligaments and to review the morphology of the vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, and vastus intermedius. Materials andMethods. One hundred and six lower limbs (34 male and 19 female cadavers) fixed in 10% formalin were examined. Results.On all lower extremities, the vastus lateralis consisted of superficial, intermediate, and deep layers. The vastus medialis, on theother hand, consisted of only the longus and obliquus layers. The quadriceps head had one or more supplementary heads in106 dissected limbs from 68 cadavers (64.1%). The distal portion of the patella was wider in lower limbs withoutsupplementary heads than in type IA but narrower than in type IIIA. In general, the distal portion of the patella was narrowerin specimens with a supplementary head than in those without (19.03 SD 3.18 mm vs. 20.58 SD 2.95 mm, p = 0:03817). Otherpatellar ligament dimensions did not differ significantly. Conclusion. The quadriceps femoris muscle is characterized by highmorphological variability. Occurrence of extra heads is at the level of 64.1%. The vastus lateralis consists of three parts(superficial, intermediate, and deep), and vastus medialis consists of two (longus and oblique). PB Wiley YR 2022 FD 2022-02-16 LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/107321 UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/107321 LA eng NO Olewnik Ł, Ruzik K, Szewczyk B, Podgórski M, Aragonés P, Karauda P, et al. The relationship between additional heads of the quadriceps femoris, the vasti muscles, and the patellar ligament. Biomed Res Int [Internet]. 2022;2022:1–11. Disponible en: http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2022/9569101 DS Docta Complutense RD 19 sept 2025