Medial Tarsal Arteries (Left)

Origin

The medial tarsal arteries arise from the dorsalis pedis artery as it travels distally along the tarsal bones. There are often two to three medial tarsal arteries, but they are highly variable in origin, number, and size (Tubbs, Shoja and Loukas, 2016).

Course

From their origin, the medial tarsal arteries travel medially to the medial aspect of the foot, where they ramify and contribute to the medial malleolar arterial network.

Branches

There are no named branches, however, the medial tarsal arteries anastomoses with the medial malleolar branches of the posterior tibial artery, the anterior medial malleolar artery, and the medial plantar artery to form the medial malleolar network.

Supplied Structures

The medial tarsal arteries supply the medial aspect of the ankle and the corresponding intertarsal joints. It may also contribute to the supply of the dorsal interossei muscles (Standring, 2016).

References

Standring, S. (2016) Gray's Anatomy: The Anatomical Basis of Clinical Practice. Gray's Anatomy Series 41st edn.: Elsevier Limited.

Tubbs, R. S., Shoja, M. M. and Loukas, M. (2016) Bergman's Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Human Anatomic Variation. Wiley.