Anterior tibial artery
The anterior tibial artery is the main arterial supply of the anterior compartment of the leg.
Gross anatomy
The anterior tibial artery arises from the popliteal artery in the popliteal fossa and continues distally as the dorsalis pedis artery.
Course
The popliteal artery usually divides at the distal border of the popliteus muscle into the tibioperoneal trunk and anterior tibial artery.
While still in the posterior compartment of the leg, the anterior tibial artery gives off the:
- posterior tibial recurrent artery
- circumflex fibular artery
Subsequently, it passes through a gap above the interosseous membrane into the anterior compartment of the leg. Here it lies on the interosseous membrane, lateral to tibialis anterior muscle.
The anterior tibial artery passes in front of the ankle joint and continues as the dorsalis pedis artery onto the dorsum of the foot lateral to the tendon of the extensor hallucis longus and medial to the extensor digitorum longus and deep peroneal nerve.
Branches
Branches include:
- anterior tibial recurrent artery: arises immediately, passes upward in the tibialis anterior muscle to anastomose with lateral genicular branches (of the popliteal artery) at the knee
- muscular branches
- perforating branches: pass behind extensor digitorum longus, piercing the deep fascia and supplying the skin of the anterior leg
- anterior medial malleolar artery: anastomoses with the medial malleolar branch of the posterior tibial artery
- anterior lateral malleolar artery: anastomoses with the perforating branch of the peroneal artery
See also
Related Radiopaedia articles
Anatomy: Lower limb
- skeleton of the lower limb
- joints of the lower limb
-
hip joint
- ligaments
- muscles
- additional structures
- hip joint capsule
- zona orbicularis
- iliotibial band
-
hip bursae
- anterior
- iliopsoas bursa (iliopectineal bursa)
- lateral
- subgluteal bursae
- greater trochanteric bursa (subgluteus maximus bursa)
- subgluteus medius bursa
- subgluteus minimus bursa
- gluteofemoral bursa
- subgluteal bursae
- postero-inferior
- anterior
- ossification centers
-
knee joint
- ligaments
- anterior cruciate ligament
- posterior cruciate ligament
- medial collateral ligament
- lateral collateral ligament
- meniscofemoral ligament (mnemonic)
-
posterolateral ligamentous complex
- arcuate ligament
- patellar tendon and quadriceps tendon
- anterolateral ligament
- posterior oblique ligament
- oblique popliteal ligament
- medial patellofemoral ligament
- additional structures
- ossification centers
- ligaments
- tibiofibular joints
-
ankle joint
- regional anatomy
- medial ankle
- lateral ankle
- anterior ankle
- ligaments
- medial collateral (deltoid) ligament
- lateral collateral ligament
- additional structures
- ankle bursae
- ossification centers of the ankle
- variants
- regional anatomy
- foot joints
-
subtalar joint
- articulations
- ligaments
- associated structures
- mid-tarsal (Chopart) joint
-
tarsometatarsal (Lisfranc) joint
- ligaments
- intermetatarsal joint
- metatarsophalangeal joint
- interphalangeal joint
- ossification centers
-
subtalar joint
-
hip joint
- spaces of the lower limb
-
muscles of the lower limb
- muscles of the pelvic group
- inner hip group
- gluteal region
- lateral rotator group
- muscles of the thigh
- muscles of the leg
- anterior compartment of the leg
- posterior compartments of the leg
- lateral compartment of the leg
- muscles of the foot
- dorsal muscles
- plantar muscles
- 1st layer
- 2nd layer
- 3rd layer
- 4th layer
- accessory muscles
- muscles of the pelvic group
- vascular supply of the lower limb
- innervation of the lower limb
- lymphatic system of the lower limb
- lymphatic pathways
- anteromedial group
- anterolateral group
- posteromedial group
- posterolateral group
- lower limb lymph nodes
- lymphatic pathways
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