Anatomical Description of The Dissection of Front of Leg and Dorsum of the Foot

1. Front of the Leg and Dorsum
of the Foot
Dr. Mushfiqul Hoque
Lecturer
Dhaka National Medical College

2. Steps of Dissection
• A transverse incision from the tibial
tuberosity to the lateral aspect of the
head of the fibula.
• Another transverse incision in front of
the ankle joint from the medial
malleolus to the back of the lateral
malleolus.
• A longitudinal incison along the shin
(anterior border of the shaft of the
tibia) joining the medial ends of the 1st
and 2nd incisions.

3. Layers
• Skin
• Superficial fascia: contains cutaneous
nerves, superficial veins, lymphatics
and unnamed arteries
• Deep fascia: around the ankles, the
deep fascia is thickened to form
retinacula. E.g. superior extensor
retinacula and inferior extensor
retinacula

4. Superficial veins
• The dorsal venous arch
• Great or long saphenous vein
• Small of short saphenous vein

5. Cutaneous nerve
• Saphenous nerve
• Infrapatellar branch of saphenous
nerve
• The lateral cutaneous nerve of calf
• Superficial peroneal nerve
• Sural nerve
• The deep peroneal nerve
• The digital branches of medial and
lateral plantar nerves

6. Retinacula
• Superior Extensor Retinaculum:
Attachments: medially it is attached to
the lower part of anterior border of
tibia, and laterally to the lower part of
the anterior border of the fibula.
• Inferior Extensor Retinaculum: Y
shaped band. Attachments: stem is
attached to the non-articular part of
superior surface of calcaneum, upper
band to the anterior border of the
medial malleolus, and lower band to
the plantar aponeurosis

7. Structures passing under the Retinacula
• Tibialis anterior
• Extensor hallucis longus
• Anterior tibial vessels
• Deep peroneal nerve
• Extensor digitorum longus
• The peroneus tertius

10. Anterior Tibial Artery
• Main artery of the front of the leg
• Smaller terminal branch of popliteal
artery
• Branches:
• Muscular branches
• Anastomotic branches

11. Deep peroneal nerve
• Main nerve of the anterior
compartment of leg
• One of the two terminal branches of
common peroneal nerve
•

13. Dorsum of the Foot

14. Dorsalis Pedis Artery
• Chief palpable artery of the dorsum of
the foot
• Commonly palpated in patients with
vaso-occlusive diseases of lower limb.
E.g. burger's disease
• Begins at the front of ankle in between
two malleoli
• Ends at the proximal end of 1st
intermetatarsal space