Nerve biometry for the soleus muscle and Its clinical implications

Abstract

Injuries to the common fibular nerve and/or its derived branches result in total or partial loss of the ability to dorsiflex the ankle-foot complex. A viable option to treat this pathology is nerve transfer, which consists of using a donor nerve to restore function to a damaged nerve. The use of the nerve for the soleus muscle (SN) is frequent as a donor to restore the function of the common or deep fibular nerve, for which it is essential to know in detail the anatomy of this nerve. Twenty-two lower limbs belonging to the anatomy units of the Universities of Chile and Santiago were used. Dissection was performed until the SN was reached, the number of main and secondary branches (SB) was observed, as well as their origin and length, and the leg was divided into quadrants to determi-ne the location of the motor points. The SN in most cases (95.4 %) is unique and originates from the tibial nerve or from the common trunk with another muscular branch. The average distance between the origin of the NS and the biepicondylar line was 28.77 mm; the average length of NS until its division into SB or direct penetration was 52 mm. The NS was divided into SB, observing that in 12 cases it was in 2 branches, in 3 cases in 3 branches and in 7 cases there were no SB. The motor points were located in the proximal fifth of the leg, 23 cases in the first lateral quadrant and 4 cases in the first medial quadrant; in the proximal quarter of the leg, 7 cases in the second lateral quadrant and 4 cases in the second medial quadrant. The data obtained will be a contribution to anatomical knowledge and reconstructive surgery of the nerves of the region