Anterior Tibial / Dorsalis Pedis Arteries : Wheeless' Textbook of Orthopaedics

Anatomy

anterior tibial artery passes from behind through gap above interosseous membrane to enter anterior compartment of leg and supply its muscles;
as it crosses membrane, it gives off a recurrent branch;
- ref: The risk of injury to anterior tibial artery in posterolateral approach to the tibia plateau: A cadaver study.
it continues on dorsum of foot as dorsalis pedis artery, which gives off medial and lateral tarsal branches;
ends by dividing into arcuate artery and the larger deep plantar artery;
arcuate artery has three metatarsal branches that, in turn, divide into dorsal digital arteries;
- deep plantar artery sends digital branches to great toe and second toe and passes between heads of the first dorsal interosseous muscle to the plantar surface;

anterior tibial artery is exposed thru a longitudinal incision in lateral calf over the mid portion of anterior compartment;
dense fascia of the anterior compartment is incised and dissection deepened between the bellies of the long extensors;
tibialis anterior and EHL muscle bodies are frequently fused, and neurovascular bundle is usually exposed between these and the extensor digitorum muscle;
here artery, its paired tibial veins, and the tibial nerve lie along surface of the interosseous membrane;
presence of a dorsalis pedis pulse does not rule out injury to A.T.A., since there may be retrograde blood flow from posterior tibial artery