ARTERIAS METATARSIANAS PLANTARES EN EL HOMBRE

the principal arterial formation of the foot is the deep plantar arch (dpa) which give off the plantar metatarsal arteries (pma), responsibles by the blood supply of part of the plantar deep region and the fingers. with the purpose to give anatomical and biometric details to the surgery and images techniques of the foot, the number, origin, course and calibers of the pma were studied. we injected latex neoprene (artifix l 14) in 50 feet of 25 adult cadavers of both sexs and brasilian origin. then, we dissected the plantar region and we found 3 pma in 5 cases (10%), in two of these cases the 2nd pma was absent (4% of total cases) and in 3 the 4th pma no was present (6 %). we observed 4 pma in 43 cases (86%) and in only 2 cases (4 %) we found 5 pma. the first and second pma originated from dpa or from the dorsal artery of the foot and the 3rd and 4th pma always originated from dpa. when the arteries originated from the dpa, in 6 % of the cases the first and second pma originated from the common trunk, similar disposition ocurred with the 2nd and 3rd (10%) and with the 3rd and 4th pma (8%). the first pma coursed by the first interosseous space in 92% of the cases and the 2nd, 3rd and 4th pma coursed by the corresponding space in 100%. the averages calibers of the pma were the followings: first pma= 1.73 mm; 2nd pma= 1.43 mm; 3rd pma= 1.54 mm and 4th pma= 1.52 mm. the caliber of the first pma was greater of the 2nd pma in both sides. the pma reach the interdigital commissures and are of fundamental importance for the blood supply of the foot fingers