348 THE INFERIOR EXTREMITY 



extensor hallucis longus on the lateral side. In the distal 

 third of the leg, where the muscles give place to their tendons, 

 the artery comes nearer to the surface. In that part of its 

 course it rests upon the tibia and is overlapped on the lateral 

 side by the extensor hallucis longus. Immediately proximal 

 to the ankle joint the tendon of the extensor hallucis longus 

 crosses superficial to the artery and so comes to lie on its 

 medial side. 



Two vena comites closely accompany the anterior tibial 

 artery, and send short communicating branches both anterior 

 and posterior to it. The deep peroneal nerve is also intimately 

 related to it. It joins the artery a short distance distal to 

 the knee, and soon takes up a position anterior to the vessel. 

 Near the ankle joint the nerve, as a rule, again lies on the 

 lateral side of the artery. Whilst the artery is still in the 

 back part of the leg it gives off a fibular and a posterior 

 tibial recurrent branch which will be seen in a subsequent 

 dissection (see p. 403). 



On the front of the leg the anterior tibial artery gives off 

 the following branches : 



1. Muscular. I 3. A. malleolaris anterior medialis. 



2. A. recurrens tibialis anterior. | 4. A. malleolaris anterior lateralis. 



The muscular branches are numerous, and come off at 

 irregular points along the whole length of the artery. They 

 supply the muscles of the anterior crural region. 



The anterior tibial recurrent artery is a small vessel 

 which springs from the anterior tibial immediately after it 

 reaches the front of the leg. It turns proximally, on the 

 lateral condyle of the tibia, in the fibres of the tibialis anterior 

 muscle. Its terminal twigs reach the front of the knee joint, 

 and anastomose with the inferior genicular branches of the 

 popliteal artery. 



Malleolar Arteries. These arteries take origin immediately 

 proximal to the ankle joint. The lateral anterior malleolar 

 artery is the larger of the two. It passes laterally under 

 cover of the tendons of the extensor digitorum longus and 

 peronaeus tertius, to reach the lateral surface of the lateral 

 malleolus, and it anastomoses with the perforating branch of the 

 peroneal artery and with the lateral tarsal artery. The medial 

 anterior malleolar artery runs medially, under cover of the 



