Anatomical and Biometric Aspects of the Cutaneous Distribution of the Superficial Fibular Nerve

• Published in: International journal of morphology 2005-06, Vol.23 (2), p.163-170
• Main Authors: Gabrielli, Carla, Froehner Junior, Ilário, Teixeira Braga, Maria Terezinha
• Format: Article
• Language: eng ; por
• Subjects: ANATOMY & MORPHOLOGY
• ISSN: 0717-9502; 0717-9502
• DOI: 10.4067/S0717-95022005000200011

The objective of this research was to study the cutaneous branching of the superficial fibular nerve (SFN), with a topographic and biometric focus, aiming to provide further anatomical details for foot and ankle surgery in general. There were analyzed 30 right and left lower limbs of 15 corpses of male adult Brazilian individuals. The cutaneous branching of the nerve was dissected and measurements taken with a tape measure and digital caliper. The nerve emerged at the surface as a single trunk in 66.7% and divided into two branches in 33.3% of the cases. When a single trunk emerged, it appeared at the level of the third distal of the leg in 75%, at the boundary between the middle and distal thirds in 20%, and, in the middle third in 5%. When divided, in most cases (60%), the two branches had the same topography, in general, in the distal third of the leg. The average width of the nerve, at its emergence, when single, was 3.1 ± 0.8 mm, when divided, one of its branches, the medial dorsal cutaneous nerve (MDCn) of the foot, measured 2.4 ± 0.9 mm, and the other, the intermediate dorsal cutaneous nerve (IDCn) of the foot 2.1 ± 0.6 mm. The MDCn communicated with the deep fibular nerve in 53.3%, and the IDCn with the sural nerve in 33.3%. In its distribution in the dorsum of the foot, the MDCn was related mainly with the first metatarsal bone and the first and second interosseous spaces, and the IDCn, in general, with the fourth metatarsal bone and the third and fourth interosseous spaces. There are important variations in the emergence and cutaneous branching of the SFN, which must be known in order to avoid iatrogenic injury during surgical procedures on the foot and ankle