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Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery - British Volume, Vol 87-B, Issue 3,
337-342.
doi: 10.1302/0301-620X.87B3.15694 Copyright © 2005 by British Editorial Society of Bone and Joint Surgery The blood supply of the common peroneal nerve in the popliteal fossaR. K. Kadiyala, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic SurgeryMt. Sinai Medical Center, MSOP Suite 690, 4302 Alton Road, Miami Beach, Florida 33140, USA. A. Ramirez, MD, Staff Surgeon 7205 Clarendon Road, Bethesda, Maryland 20814-2319, USA. A.E. Taylor, MPH, Orthopaedic Surgery Research Assistant; C. L. Saltzman, MD, Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and Engineering; and M. D. Cassell, PhD, Professor of Anatomy and Cell Biology University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA. Correspondence should be sent to Professor M. D. Cassell; e-mail: martin-cassell{at}uiowa.edu
We investigated the blood supply of the common peroneal nerve. Dissection of 19 lower limbs, including six with intra-vascular injection of latex, allowed gross and microscopic measurements to be made of the blood supply of the common peroneal nerve in the popliteal fossa. This showed that a long segment of the nerve in the vicinity of the fibular neck contained only a few intraneural vessels of fine calibre. By contrast, the tibial nerve received an abundant supply from a constant series of vessels arising directly from the popliteal and posterior tibial arteries. The susceptibility of the common peroneal nerve to injury from a variety of causes and its lack of response to operative treatment may be explained by the tenuous nature of its intrinsic blood supply.
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