THE SURAL NERVE IN THE FOOT AND ANKLE - AN ANATOMIC STUDY WITH CLINICAL AND SURGICAL IMPLICATIONS

Operative procedures and traumatic injuries of the lateral foot and an kle place the sural nerve and its branches at risk. Anatomic studies q uantifying the course of this nerve are sparse. In this study, 17 cada ver specimens were dissected to clarify its course and branching patte rns. Despite multiple variations of the nerve and its branches, descri ption of the course of a ''typical'' nerve trunk was possible. The ner ve was found to lie in close proximity to the Achilles tendon at a lev el of 7 cm above the tip of the lateral malleolus. In the hindfoot, th e nerve coursed 14 mm posterior and 14 mm inferior to the malleolus. D istally, it crossed superficial to the peroneus longus and brevis tend ons. An anastomotic branch coursing into the sinus tarsi area was obse rved in 24% of specimens. An understanding of the course and distribut ion of the sural nerve may lessen the risk of iatrogenic injury.