Abstract
Introduction: The dorsalis pedis artery is the continuation of the anterior tibial artery from the midpoint of the two malleoli and passes medially along the dorsum to the proximal end of the first intermetatarsal space. It then turns into the sole between the first dorsal interosseous muscle to complete the plantar arch. Tarsal, arcuate, and first dorsal metatarsal arteries are branches of the dorsalis pedis artery. The study aimed to determine variations in the origin, termination, branches, length, and diameter of the dorsalis pedis artery compared with normal anatomy.
Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted in the dissection hall of the Anatomy Department in Lumbini Medical College. Thirty-one lower limbs from cadavers were dissected to expose the dorsalis pedis artery, and the required data were documented for the study. Arteries were colored, and variation was recorded in a photograph.
Results: In the 31 lower limbs, the study found the mean diameter of the dorsalis pedis artery at origin to be 4.13±0.88 mm, at termination it was 3.47±0.84 mm, and the mean length was 66.83±12.45 mm. The variation was observed in the arcuate artery and its branches, as well as in the origin and number of dorsal metatarsal arteries and the lateral tarsal artery.
Conclusions: The dorsalis pedis artery is a major artery of the foot, so normal and variations of the artery are very important for radiologists, orthopaedics, and vascular surgeons to prevent risk during surgical intervention.
References
1. Tonogai I, Tsuruo Y, Sairyo K. Implications of DPA anatomical variants for dorsal midfoot surgery. Foot Ankle Int. 2022;43(7):942-947. doi:10.1177/10711007221081527.
2. Hemalini, Manjunatha HN. Variation in the origin, course, and branching pattern of dorsalis pedis artery with clinical significance. J Nat Res.2021; 11:1448. doi:10.1038/s41598-020-80555-z.
3. Gautam A, Sintakala C. Anatomical study of dorsalis pedis artery. J Chitwan Med Coll. 2020;10(31):24-26. doi:10.3126/jcmc.v10i1.28065.
4. Ntuli S, Nalla S, Kiter A. Anatomical variation of the dorsalis pedis artery in a South African population: a cadaveric study. Foot (Edinb).2018;35:16-27. doi:10.1016/j.foot.2018.01.002.
5. Parikh S, Dawe E, Lee C, Whitehead-Clarke T, Smith C, Bendall S. A cadaveric study showing the anatomical variations in the branches of the dorsalis pedis artery at the level of the ankle joint and its clinical implication in ankle arthroscopy. Ann R Coll Surg Engl. 2017;99(4):286-288. doi:10.1308/rcsann.2016.0288.
6. Rimchala C, Chuckpaiwong B. Relationship of the dorsalis pedis artery to the tarsal navicular. J Foot Ankle Surg. 2015;54(1):66-68. doi:10.1053/j.jfas.2014.09.002.
7. Kim JW, Choi YJ, Lee HJ, Yi KH, Kim HJ, Hu KS. Anatomic study of the dorsalis pedis artery, first metatarsal artery, and second metatarsal bone for mandibular reconstruction. J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2015;73(8):1627-1636. doi:10.1016/j.joms.2015.02.007.
8. Rajeshwari MS, Roshankumar BN, Vijayakumar. An anatomical study on dorsalis pedis artery. Int J Anat Res. 2013; 2:88-92.
9. Kulkarni V, Ramesh BR. A morphological study of dorsalis pedis artery and its clinical correlation. J Pharm Biomed Sci. 2012;2(3):14-19.
10. Vijayalakshmi S, et al. Study of dorsalis pedis artery and its clinical relevance. J Clin Diagn Res. 2011;5(2):287-290.
11. Lee JH, Dauber W. Anatomic study of the dorsalis pedis–first dorsal metatarsal artery. Ann Plast Surg. 1997;38(1):50-55. doi:10.1097/00000637-199701000-00010.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2026 Chandan Sintakala, Mrs. Prabina Manandhar