LAUSR

BACKGROUND The deep plantar (D-PL) artery originates from the dorsalis pedis artery in the proximal first intermetatarsal space, an area where many procedures are performed to address deformity, traumatic injury and infection. The potential risk to injury of the D-PL artery is concerning. The D-PL artery provides vascular contribution to the base of the first metatarsal and forms the D-PL arterial arch with the lateral plantar artery. METHODS In an effort to improve our understanding of the positional relationship of the D-PL artery to the first metatarsal, dissections were performed on 43 embalmed cadaver feet to measure the location of the D-PL artery with respect to the base of the first metatarsal. Images of the dissected specimens were digitally acquired and saved for measurement using in-house written software. The mean, standard deviation and 95% confidence intervals were calculated for all measurement parameters. RESULTS We found that the origin of the D-PL artery was located at 11.5 ± 3.9 mm (95% CI: 4.5 - 24.7 mm) distal to the first metatarsal base and 18.6% ± 6.5% (95% CI: 8.1% to 43.4%) its length in reference to the proximal base. The average inter-rater reliability across all measurements was 0.945. CONCLUSIONS Our study helps to clarify the anatomic location of the D-PL artery by providing parameters to aid the surgeon when performing procedures in the proximal first intermetatarsal space. Care must be taken when performing procedures in the region to avoid unintended vascular injury to the D-PL artery.